climb the walls

Idioms  

1. Show extreme frustration, impatience, or anxiety, as in That long, boring banquet made me want to climb the walls, or If he says that one more time I'll be ready to climb the walls. Although describing a military maneuver dating from ancient times, this slangy phrase has been used figuratively to express strong negative feeling only since about 1970. Also see under drive someone crazy.

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Example Sentences

“I would love to have a living wall someday,” Stewart says of the practice of allowing plants to climb the walls themselves.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 22, 2022

"We saw this immense black river that was dragging along everything, we had to climb the walls to escape," said resident Alba Cotacachi, who evacuated her two young daughters from their home.

From Reuters • Feb. 1, 2022

The season 39 contestant said he was "fuming" and "about to climb the walls" before claiming the allegations against Spilo are not true.

From Fox News • Dec. 13, 2019

The pictures climb the walls, leading the eye to a central image of Christ at the center of the domed ceiling, high above the viewer’s head.

From Washington Post • Mar. 1, 2018

The late sun sifts through the bougainvillea trained to climb the walls of the patio, to thread across the trellis roof, to pour down magenta and purple blossoms.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez