knock oneself dead—(coll.) work very hard; make an extra effort to accomplish smth. (also: knock oneself out):
- In the first six weeks on the job I hardly spent one day in Pennsylvania. …I had been all over the country, knocking myself dead.
knock someone dead—(coll., also: knock someone out) put on a stunning performance; have a powerful emotional effect on a person:
- This band is going to do great tonight. We’re going to knock them dead.