Learn English – Equivalent idiom for “turning in one’s grave” for a living person

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If you do something that would greatly upset a deceased person, it would cause him to "turn in his grave".

However, what if the person affected is still alive? Is there an equivalent idiom for this?

Best Answer

Consider mortify if you can tolerate a colourful word rather than an idiom.

Definition from O-D

  1. Cause (someone) to feel very embarrassed or ashamed [...]

Its etymology is slightly reminiscent of the grave / death reference mentioned by OP, i.e.

Late Middle English (in the senses 'put to death', 'deaden', and 'subdue by self-denial'): from Old French mortifier, from ecclesiastical Latin mortificare 'kill, subdue', from mors,mort- 'death'.

To quote a UK MP in news today:

Mr Duncan Smith told Robert Peston on his ITV politics show: 

“I’ve been around in politics long enough to see plenty of incredibly experienced cabinet ministers and Prime Ministers get stitched up in the course of an interview.

“I’ve talked to her, she’s actually mortified about that, really genuinely mortified. - Independent Newspaper