With a combined corpus-based and experimental approach, this paper investigates the English marginal construction “X the Y out of Z” (XTYOFZ). Its usage context, syntactic and semantic characteristics were examined through a corpus-based study. The comprehension and usage by speakers with English as Second Language (ESL) and speakers with English as native language (ENL) were tested via a Lexical Decision Task and a follow-up survey. Corpus data shows that in general, the combination of non-motion action verbs (e.g., scare, beat) as X and taboo terms (e.g., shit, hell) as Y was the most common. Also, it was found that the construction occurs mostly in non-academic contexts such as websites and TV/movies. The results from the Lexical Decision Task show that ESL speakers access constructional meaning slightly more slowly than ENL speakers. The follow-up survey also reflects that ESL speakers seem to have a harder time to produce and comprehend the construction compared to ENL speakers. By investigating the features of a relatively less-discussed construction and its usage by ESL speakers, this study hopes to increase the knowledge base of Construction Grammar and ESL construction comprehension and usage, particularly with regard to constructions that are mainly used in more casual settings.