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

Maya Lin, who designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, mapped Chesapeake Bay, using scattered fiberglass marbles that flow across the floor and climb the walls in one room.

From New York Times • Nov. 12, 2015

How Tree-ear wished he could somehow climb the walls and examine the tiles more closely!

From "A Single Shard" by Linda Sue Park