fly off the handle
English
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fly off the handle
Where it comes from
From the image of an axe head becoming loose and suddenly flying free of its handle, a vivid metaphor for losing control. The phrase is an early 19th-century American idiom, with printed examples first appearing c. the 1810s–1830s.
verb flies off the handle · flying off the handle · flew off the handle · flown off the handle
- To become very angry or enraged; to throw a fit or go crazy. My dad flew off the handle when he saw the F grade on my report card.
Translations
Every language
verb to become very angry
| Español | perder los estribos |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 勃然大怒 bórándànù |
| Português | perder as estribeiras |
| Français | sortir de ses gonds |
| Deutsch | aus der Haut fahren |
| Italiano | uscire dai gangheri |
Talk about this word "fly off the handle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/fly%20off%20the%20handle. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. fly off the handle. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/fly%20off%20the%20handle "fly off the handle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/fly%20off%20the%20handle.Cite this
@misc{fly_off_the_handle_2026,
title = {fly off the handle},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/fly%20off%20the%20handle},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
