off the handle
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He was estranged from many members of his family, with one saying he would "fly off the handle at anything".
From BBC
When the weight becomes too much to bear, as Aniello hinted may happen, Ava flies off the handle and quits, loudly, shrieking at the top of her lungs while barreling through the studio lot’s security gate.
From Salon
The goal, she said, is authenticity: “This show is centered around a sprawling Black family that loves and makes mistakes and flies off the handle. They don’t always agree, but the foundation is deep, abiding, eternal love. This family would do anything for each other, and that’s authentic too.”
From Los Angeles Times
It took me longer to grasp just how tired was plumb tired and what really happened when someone flew off the handle.
From Salon
Isaac, who did not want his surname to be published, said it was a "daily occurrence" to hear teachers "completely fly off the handle" at pupils, including those as young as 12 and 13.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.