to the core
Meaning(s)
1. completely or to an extreme degree
Popularity
High
Professional
High
Social
How to Memorize
shocked/rotten to the core
Analysis
The 'core' of something is the centre or very essence of something or someone. If someone is described as being something 'to the core', it means 'in every way'. If you are 'kind to the core' for example, you are a very kind person in every possible way. If you are 'rotten to the core' you behave badly or are thoroughly awful. Describing something as 'to the core' can also mean 'to an extreme degree', usually used as a qualifier for intense emotions. This idiomatic expression is usually used for emphasis.
Social Examples (Advance)
- When Alex heard the news he was shaken to the core. It really came as a huge shock to him.
- Ruth is extremely patriotic. She considers herself Irish to the core.
Professional Examples (Advance)
- That company are simply rotten to the core. Everyone knows they engage in corrupt practices.
- The realisation that one of my employees has been embezzling funds has shocked me to the core.