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| To be up in arms | If you are up in arms about something, you are
very angry. "The population was up in arms over the demolition of the old theatre." |
| Get off my back! | If you tell somebody to
get off your back, you ask them to stop finding faults or criticizing you. |
| Like a bear with a sore head |
If someone is behaving like a bear with a sore head, they are very irritable and bad-tempered. "When his team lost the match, Brad was like a bear with a sore head." |
| Bite someone's head off |
If you bite someone's head off, you criticize them strongly (and perhaps unfairly). "I worked 10 hours a day all week and my boss bit my head off for not doing my share of the work!" |
| Blow a fuse | If you blow a fuse, you suddenly lose your temper and become very angry. "Charlie blew a fuse yesterday when he discovered that his ipod had been stolen." |
| Have a bone to pick with someone |
To say that you have a bone to pick
with somebody means that you are annoyed with them and want to talk to them about it. |
| In somebody's good/bad books |
If you are in somebody's good or bad books, you have their
approval or disapproval. "I'm in my wife's bad books at the moment because I forgot our wedding anniversary!" |
| For crying out loud | This expression is used to show irritation, exasperation or anger. "For crying out loud! Turn that television off!" |
| Drive up the wall |
If somebody or something drives you up the wall, they do
something that greatly annoys or irritates you. "I can't concentrate with all the noise - it's driving me up the wall!" |
| Flea in one's ear |
After an attempt at something, if you are sent away with a flea in
your ear, you are angrily reprimanded or humiliated. "When he tried to put the blame on Pete, he was sent away with a flea in his ear." |
| Fly off the handle |
A person who flies off the handle becomes suddenly
very angry. "Dad flew off the handle when I told him I had damaged his new car." |
| Foam at the mouth |
Someone who foams at the mouth is extremely angry about
something. "The director was foaming at the mouth when he saw a picture of his children in the newspaper." |
| Get your knickers in a twist. |
If you get your knickers in twist, you are
angry, nervous or upset faced with a difficult situation "Don't get your knickers in a twist! Everything is under control." |
| Get a rise out of somebody |
If you make someone react angrily by jokingly saying something that you know will irritate them, you get a rise out of them. "He gets a rise out of his daughter by asking about her latest diet." |
| Get in someone's hair |
If
you are getting in somebody's hair, you are annoying them so much that they can't get on with what they're doing. "I'd finish the report more quickly if my colleague wasn't getting in my hair all the time!" |
| Go through the roof | If someone
goes through the roof, they become very angry "His father went through the roof when Paul damaged his new car." |
| Good riddance! | This expression is used to express relief at becoming free of an
unpleasant or unwanted person or thing. "Our horrible neighbour has moved house, and all I can say is 'good riddance'!" |
| Hot under the collar | If you get hot under the collar, you feel
annoyed, indignant or embarrassed. "If anyone criticizes his proposals, Joe immediately gets hot under the collar." |
| Look daggers at someone |
Someone who looks daggers at another looks at them very
angrily. "David looked daggers at Paul when he invited his new girlfriend to dance." |
| Make one's hackles rise |
If someone makes your hackles rise, they make you angry. "Her constant criticism really makes my hackles rise!" |
| More heat than light | If a discussion or debate generates more heat than light,
it causes anger or intense reaction but doesn't clarify anything. "The meeting that was held to discuss the problem generated more heat than light." |
| Kick yourself |
If you feel like kicking yourself, you are angry with yourself for
something you have done or not done. "I could have kicked myself for forgetting Julie's birthday." |
| Like a red flag to a bull | To say that a statement or action is like a red flag to a bull
means that it is sure to make someone very angry or upset. "Don't mention Tom's promotion to Mike. It would be like a red flag to a bull!" |
| Like a ton of bricks |
If
somebody comes down on you like a ton of bricks, they criticize you severely because you have done something wrong. |
| Have a quick temper |
If you have a quick temper, you get angry very
easily. "He makes me nervous - he's got such a quick temper." |
| Rant and rave |
If you rant and rave about something, you protest noisily
and forcefully. "The old man ranted and raved about the new waste collection system, but he had to accept it." |
| Road rage | Aggressive driving habits sometimes resulting in violence against other drivers. "A number of car accidents today are a result of road rage." |
| See red |
If someone sees red, they suddenly become very angry or annoyed about something. "Discrimination of any kind makes me see red!" |
| Smooth somebody's ruffled feathers |
If you smooth somebody's ruffled
feathers, you make that person feel less angry or offended. "Tom took the criticism badly, but James managed to smooth his ruffled feathers" |
| That makes my blood boil! |
If something makes your blood boil, it makes
you really angry. "His condescending attitude made my blood boil!" |
| That's going too far! | If you
go too far, you do something that is
considered extreme or unacceptable. "Stealing is bad, but stealing from a poor person is really going too far!" |
| That takes the biscuit! | This expression refers to something very irritating or
annoying. "After waiting for an hour, we were told that there were no seats left. That really took the biscuit!" |
| That's the last straw! |
The expression means that this is the latest unpleasant event, and that you cannot tolerate the situation any longer. |
| Wink of sleep |
If someone doesn't get a wink of sleep, they don't sleep at all. "It was so noisy in the hotel, I didn't get a wink of sleep." |
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