What does it mean to knock the wind out of somebody?

[nq:1]"To knock the wind out of (somebody)" is an expression that I've seen quite a few times but I was never quite sure exactly what it means (both in terms of literal meaning and connotation). What exactly does it mean?[/nq]
If it's happened to you, you would understand it completely. A blow to the midsection, high-up near the sternum, can cause you to be unable to breath for several seconds

[nq:2]"To knock the wind out of (somebody)" is an expression ... of literal meaning and connotation). What exactly does it mean?[/nq]
[nq:1]If it's happened to you, you would understand it completely. A blow to the midsection, high-up near the sternum, can ... your breath away". In the metaphorical sense, it just means something very shocking or surprising. Tony Cooper Orlando, FL[/nq]
I t

[nq:2]If it's happened to you, you would understand it completely. ... metaphorical sense, it just means something very shocking or surprising.[/nq]
[nq:1]I thought that it was just a shortening of 'knock the wind out of your sails' which meant discomfit and paralyse you completely so that you can't even react.[/nq]
I'm with Tony: to me, it means being winded by a force to the chest.
H

[nq:1]"To knock the wind out of (somebody)" is an expression that I've seen quite a few times but I was never quite sure exactly what it means (both in terms of literal meaning and connotation). What exactly does it mean?[/nq]
Startle or surprise them so much that they are (figuratively) gasping for breath.

Francis Cameron

tony (Email Removed) had it:
[nq:2]"To knock the wind out of (somebody)" is an expression ... of literal meaning and connotation). What exactly does it mean?[/nq]
[nq:1]If it's happened to you, you would understand it completely. A blow to the midsection, high-up near the sternum, can ... of you" because it "takes your breath away". In the metaphorical sense, it just means something very s

[nq:2]If it's happened to you, you would understand it completely. ... something very shocking or surprising. Tony Cooper Orlando, FL[/nq]
[nq:1]I thought that it was just a shortening of 'knock the wind out of your sails' which meant discomfit and paralyse you completely so that you can't even react.[/nq]
No, it has a literal meaning as Tony describes. "Knock the wind out of your sails" m

[nq:1]tony cooper...@earthlink.net had it:[/nq]
[nq:2]If it's happened to you, you would understand it completely. ... metaphorical sense, it just means something very shocking or surprising.[/nq]
[nq:1]It's also worth reporting the sailing term - "to take the wind out of someone's sails" which means to pass ... no response, hence putting them at a disadvantage. David ==- Hide quoted text

[nq:2]tony cooper...@earthlink.net had it: It's also worth reporting the sailing ... person has no response, hence putting them at a disadvantage.[/nq]
[nq:1]Yeah, this is what I thought and said.[/nq]
Notice the difference, though: the OP asked about "knock the wind out of someone", whereas David's mentioned the sailing term of "take the wind out of...sails".
"Knocking" the wind out o

[nq:1]On 04 Mar 2007, jinhyun wrote[/nq]
[nq:2]Yeah, this is what I thought and said.[/nq]
[nq:1]Notice the difference, though: the OP asked about "knock the wind out of someone", whereas David's mentioned the sailing term ... as John Kane has posted, it would probably mean something different. Cheers, Harvey Canadian and British English, indiscriminately mixed[/nq]
Yeah, I looked it u

[nq:2]If it's happened to you, you would understand it completely. ... metaphorical sense, it just means something very shocking or surprising.[/nq]
[nq:1]I thought that it was just a shortening of 'knock the wind out of your sails' which meant discomfit and paralyse you completely so that you can't even react.[/nq]
In my experience with the usages, to "knock the wind out of..." means to s