Anger is a powerful emotion, often difficult to express accurately. Idioms can help articulate this feeling vividly and memorably. In this post, we’ll explore 20 idioms that capture various aspects of anger, providing both their meanings and examples to enhance your understanding and usage.
Idioms That Describe Anger
1. Blow a fuse
Meaning: To become very angry
Example: He blew a fuse when he saw the mess.
2. Hit the roof
Meaning: To become extremely angry
Example: She hit the roof when he broke the vase.
3. See red
Meaning: To become very angry
Example: I saw red when he insulted me.
4. Fly off the handle
Meaning: To suddenly become very angry
Example: She flew off the handle at his comment.
5. Go ballistic
Meaning: To become extremely angry
Example: He went ballistic when his car was scratched.
6. Be hot under the collar
Meaning: To be angry or annoyed
Example: He was hot under the collar about the delay.
7. Blow one’s top
Meaning: To become very angry
Example: She blew her top when she missed the bus.
8. Lose one’s cool
Meaning: To lose control of one’s temper
Example: He lost his cool during the argument.
9. Get one’s dander up
Meaning: To become angry
Example: His rude behavior got her dander up.
10. Go through the roof
Meaning: To become very angry
Example: Her reaction went through the roof over the news.
11. Hit the ceiling
Meaning: To become very angry
Example: He hit the ceiling when the deal fell through.
12. Be up in arms
Meaning: To be very angry and ready to protest
Example: They were up in arms about the new policy.
13. Bite someone’s head off
Meaning: To respond with anger
Example: She bit his head off for no reason.
14. Be foaming at the mouth
Meaning: To be extremely angry
Example: He was foaming at the mouth with rage.
15. Have a short fuse
Meaning: To be quick to anger
Example: She has a short fuse, so be careful.
16. Be in a huff
Meaning: To be in a bad mood
Example: She left the room in a huff.
17. Go bananas
Meaning: To become very angry or excited
Example: He went bananas when he heard the news.
18. Be mad as a hornet
Meaning: To be extremely angry
Example: She was mad as a hornet after the meeting.
19. Give someone a piece of your mind
Meaning: To speak angrily to someone
Example: He gave the manager a piece of his mind.
20. Be up to one’s neck
Meaning: To be deeply involved in something frustrating
Example: He’s up to his neck in problems at work.
