raise the roof

1. Be extremely noisy and boisterous, as in They'd had a lot to drink and were really raising the roof last night .

2. Complain loudly and angrily, as in When the landlord increased the rent, the tenants raised the roof about his lack of repairs and maintenance . Both usages convey the image of the roof being lifted because it cannot contain either noise or rage. [ Slang ; mid-1800s] Also see hit the ceiling .

Example Sentences

It may also have raised the roof in the away end.

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Guests were dressed in sparkly sequins, a 20-piece orchestra raised the roof and Dawn French - as the Vicar of Dibley - gave a sermon at the lectern.

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The tomb became an enclosed vault after an 18th Century earl raised the roof.

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I was in the middle of “raising the roof” when a pocket-sized man approached me and asked if I liked his friend.

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"Her voice is a wonder, both seductive and subtle, but big enough to raise the roof. It's an extraordinary performance in a beautiful rethinking of one of Lloyd Webber's greatest shows."

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Related Words

• holler 
• shout