bring smb.'s heart into his mouth

(bring smb.'s heart into his mouth (тж. make smb.'s heart leap out of his mouth))

перепугать кого-л. до смерти; ≈ душа ушла в пятки

...when he showed his nose in a shop, they talked about the beadle - which brought Oliver's heart into his mouth. (Ch. Dickens, ‘Oliver Twist’, ch. VIII) — ...когда Оливер сунул нос в лавку, речь там шла о приходском стороже, и у Оливера от страха пересохло во рту.

...I had heard in the silent, frosty air a sound that brought my heart into my mouth - the tap-tapping of the blind man's stick upon the frozen road. (R. L. Stevenson, ‘Treasure Island’, ch. IV) — ...в тихом морозном воздухе пронесся звук, от которого кровь застыла у меня в жилах, - постукивание палки слепого по мерзлой дороге.