set one's hair on fire

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set one's hair on fire

Where it comes from

Possibly from stories of Viking marauders said to have set their hair and beards on fire when running into battle in order to appear fanatical and fearsome.

verb sets one's hair on fire · setting one's hair on fire · set one's hair on fire · light one's hair on fire · run around with one's hair on fire

idiomatic To become wildly impassioned; to behave crazily. "It was perceived that we were opening a party house where people could drink and run amok and generally set their hair on fire," said Bill Hobson, executive director of the Downtown Emergency Service Center.
Similar: freak out, lose it

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MLA

"set one's hair on fire." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/set%20one's%20hair%20on%20fire. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

APA

set one's hair on fire. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/set%20one's%20hair%20on%20fire

Chicago

"set one's hair on fire." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 7, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/set%20one's%20hair%20on%20fire.

BibTeX

@misc{set_one_s_hair_on_fire_2026,
  title = {set one's hair on fire},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/set%20one's%20hair%20on%20fire},
  urldate = {2026-11-07}
}