Sometimes, people feel really upset when things don’t go the way they want. It might happen when they lose a game, have a fight with a friend, or can’t finish a hard homework. Instead of just saying “I’m upset,” people often use idioms to explain how they feel. These idioms are short phrases that show strong feelings in a simple way.
In this article, you will learn 40 idioms that people use when they are upset or frustrated. These idioms are used every day in the U.S., and knowing them can help you understand others better. You might even start using some of them when you’re feeling annoyed or tired. Let’s look at each one and learn what it means.
Idioms for Upset
1. At the End of Your Rope
Meaning: You feel like you can’t deal with anything else.
For Example: I was at the end of my rope after all that homework. / Mom was at the end of her rope when the sink broke again.
Alternatively: I can’t take it anymore. / I’m done.
2. Blow a Fuse
Meaning: To suddenly get very angry.
For Example: Dad blew a fuse when I spilled juice on his book. / My sister blew a fuse when I broke her toy.
Alternatively: Lose your temper / Flip out
3. Drive Someone Up the Wall
Meaning: To really annoy someone.
For Example: My little brother drives me up the wall when he plays loud music. / The squeaky door drove me up the wall.
Alternatively: Make someone crazy / Really bother
4. Get on Someone’s Nerves
Meaning: To bother someone again and again.
For Example: Her tapping gets on my nerves. / That loud commercial really gets on Dad’s nerves.
Alternatively: Annoy / Bug someone
5. Hot Under the Collar
Meaning: Feeling very angry.
For Example: He got hot under the collar when his game didn’t work. / She was hot under the collar after losing her spot in line.
Alternatively: Mad / Upset
6. Lose Your Cool
Meaning: To stop being calm and get angry.
For Example: I lost my cool when my team lost again. / She lost her cool during the test.
Alternatively: Blow up / Get angry
7. Rub the Wrong Way
Meaning: To bother someone without meaning to.
For Example: The way he talks rubs me the wrong way. / I hope I didn’t rub the teacher the wrong way.
Alternatively: Offend / Make someone uncomfortable
8. Fed Up
Meaning: Tired of something and want it to stop.
For Example: I’m fed up with cleaning my room alone. / She’s fed up with waiting for the bus.
Alternatively: Had enough / Sick of it
9. Have a Short Fuse
Meaning: Get angry very easily.
For Example: My cousin has a short fuse and yells a lot. / That coach has a short fuse during games.
Alternatively: Quick-tempered / Easily upset
10. Blow Off Steam
Meaning: To do something active to calm down.
For Example: I played basketball to blow off steam. / Dad took a walk to blow off steam after work.
Alternatively: Cool down / Calm yourself
11. Hit the Roof
Meaning: To get very, very mad.
For Example: Mom hit the roof when I forgot my homework. / He hit the roof when someone scratched his car.
Alternatively: Explode with anger / Go wild
12. At Your Wits’ End
Meaning: You don’t know what else to do.
For Example: I was at my wits’ end trying to fix my bike. / She was at her wits’ end with the noisy kids.
Alternatively: Totally confused / Really stuck
13. Bite Someone’s Head Off
Meaning: To speak in a mean way.
For Example: He bit my head off when I asked for help. / Don’t bite my head off, I was just asking.
Alternatively: Snap at / Talk meanly
14. Climb the Walls
Meaning: To feel very nervous or annoyed.
For Example: I was climbing the walls during the long trip. / She was climbing the walls after waiting all day.
Alternatively: Very annoyed / Stir crazy
15. Throw a Fit
Meaning: To act out in anger.
For Example: He threw a fit when he lost the game. / My sister threw a fit in the store.
Alternatively: Yell and scream / Tantrum
16. Go Bananas
Meaning: To act wild or very upset.
For Example: The fans went bananas when the team lost. / I go bananas when I lose my stuff.
Alternatively: Freak out / Lose control
17. Make Your Blood Boil
Meaning: To make you really mad.
For Example: It makes my blood boil when people are rude. / That lie made my blood boil.
Alternatively: Super angry / So upset
18. Have a Meltdown
Meaning: To lose control from stress.
For Example: I had a meltdown after my project fell apart. / He had a meltdown at the store.
Alternatively: Break down / Freak out
19. Throw in the Towel
Meaning: To give up.
For Example: I threw in the towel after trying many times. / She threw in the towel during practice.
Alternatively: Quit / Stop trying
20. Keep It Together
Meaning: To stay calm.
For Example: I tried to keep it together during the test. / He kept it together when things went wrong.
Alternatively: Stay calm / Don’t lose control
21. Tear Your Hair Out
Meaning: To feel really frustrated.
For Example: I was tearing my hair out trying to solve that problem. / Mom was tearing her hair out from all the mess.
Alternatively: Very stressed / Super upset
22. Hit a Nerve
Meaning: To upset someone deeply.
For Example: My joke hit a nerve and she got quiet. / I hit a nerve when I mentioned the bad grade.
Alternatively: Hurt someone’s feelings / Upset someone
23. Scream Your Head Off
Meaning: To yell loudly in anger or pain.
For Example: He screamed his head off when he got hurt. / She screamed her head off over a lost toy.
Alternatively: Yell a lot / Shout loudly
24. Hit a Wall
Meaning: To feel stuck and can’t go on.
For Example: I hit a wall during my math homework. / She hit a wall while writing her story.
Alternatively: Can’t move forward / Stuck
25. Can’t Take It Anymore
Meaning: To feel done with a bad situation.
For Example: I can’t take it anymore this noise is too much! / She said she can’t take it anymore and walked out.
Alternatively: Had enough / Finished
26. Go Off the Deep End
Meaning: To get very upset over something small.
For Example: He went off the deep end when I forgot his pen. / She went off the deep end over a broken toy.
Alternatively: Overreact / Freak out
27. Bite the Bullet
Meaning: To do something hard even when it’s not fun.
For Example: I bit the bullet and cleaned my room. / She bit the bullet and told the truth.
Alternatively: Deal with it / Get it over with
28. Blow Things Out of Proportion
Meaning: To make something seem worse than it is.
For Example: He’s blowing it out of proportion it’s just a scratch. / She blew it out of proportion when her pencil broke.
Alternatively: Overreact / Make it a big deal
29. Bang Your Head Against a Wall
Meaning: To keep trying something that isn’t working.
For Example: I was banging my head against a wall doing that puzzle. / He kept banging his head against a wall trying to win the game.
Alternatively: Stuck / Getting nowhere
30. In a Huff
Meaning: To leave angrily.
For Example: She left the room in a huff. / He walked away in a huff after the fight.
Alternatively: Storm off / Leave upset
31. Get Bent Out of Shape
Meaning: To get upset over something small.
For Example: Don’t get bent out of shape it’s just a game. / He got bent out of shape over a tiny mess.
Alternatively: Overreact / Get too upset
32. Be On Edge
Meaning: To feel nervous or ready to get upset.
For Example: I was on edge before the spelling test. / She was on edge all morning.
Alternatively: Jumpy / Nervous
33. Jump Down Someone’s Throat
Meaning: To yell at someone quickly.
For Example: She jumped down my throat for touching her book. / He jumped down his brother’s throat for making noise.
Alternatively: Yell / Snap at
34. Lose It
Meaning: To suddenly get really angry.
For Example: I lost it when my phone broke. / Dad lost it when we didn’t clean our room.
Alternatively: Freak out / Get super mad
35. On Your Last Nerve
Meaning: Almost out of patience.
For Example: That buzzing sound is on my last nerve. / I was on my last nerve after all the questions.
Alternatively: About to snap / Almost done
36. Go Through the Roof
Meaning: To get very angry, very fast.
For Example: She went through the roof when she saw the mess. / He went through the roof after losing his phone.
Alternatively: Explode with anger / Get really mad
37. Storm Off
Meaning: To leave suddenly in anger.
For Example: He stormed off after we laughed. / She stormed off during the game.
Alternatively: Walk away mad / Leave angry
38. Throw a Tantrum
Meaning: To act out when upset.
For Example: The toddler threw a tantrum in the store. / He threw a tantrum after losing.
Alternatively: Yell and cry / Make a scene
39. Feel Burned Out
Meaning: Tired and frustrated from doing too much.
For Example: I felt burned out after studying all week. / She was burned out after soccer practice.
Alternatively: Worn out / Tired of it
40. Have a Cow
Meaning: To get upset or overreact.
For Example: Don’t have a cow it’s just a pencil! / He had a cow when I touched his backpack.
Alternatively: Freak out / Overreact
True/False Quiz: Idioms for Upset
- Saying “I’m at the end of my rope” means you are full of energy.
True / False - If someone “blew a fuse,” it means they got really mad.
True / False - When someone is “fed up,” it means they are tired of something.
True / False - “Drive someone up the wall” means to make them feel proud.
True / False - If your friend “has a short fuse,” they get angry easily.
True / False - Saying “throw in the towel” means to keep trying harder.
True / False - “Bite the bullet” means you do something even if it’s hard or not fun.
True / False - If your teacher says “keep it together,” they want you to stay calm.
True / False - “Throw a fit” means to laugh at a joke.
True / False - If someone is “on their last nerve,” they are almost out of patience.
True / False
Answer Key
- False
- True
- True
- False
- True
- False
- True
- True
- False
- True
Scoring Guide
- 10 Correct Answers: Idioms Master!
- 7–9 Correct Answers: You really get Idioms nice work!
- 4–6 Correct Answers: You’re learning, keep going!
- 0–3 Correct Answers: Let’s learn about Idioms together!
Conclusion
Everyone feels upset sometimes. When that happens, idioms can help us say how we feel in a clear way. These short phrases make it easier to show big feelings.
By learning idioms for upset, you can better explain your mood. You’ll also understand others more when they use these phrases. Keep using them and soon, they’ll feel natural in your everyday talk.
