lose (one's) head
To lose one's composure and act emotionally or irrationally. You need to calm down before you talk to Larry. You don't want to lose your head before finding out his side of the story. I'm sorry, I lost my head out there. There's no excuse for what I said.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
lose one's head (over someone or something)
Fig. to become confused or overly emotional about someone or something. Don't lose your head over John. He isn't worth it. I'm sorry. I got upset and lost my head.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
lose one's head, to
To become so agitated that one cannot act sensibly. This expression, which at one time meant literal decapitation and was used figuratively from the mid-nineteenth century on, differs from the more recent catchphrase “You’d lose your head if it wasn’t screwed on,” addressed to an extremely absentminded person. Thomas Macaulay’s History of England (1855) stated, “He lost his head, almost fainted away on the floor of the House.”
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer