boiling point

1. One's limit in patience, temper, or equanimity, after which one loses control of one's emotions. Likened to the temperature at which a given liquid boils. I was at my boiling point with the kids last night. All their fighting and shouting drove me crazy! Oh boy, here come the cops. I guess one of the neighbors reached their boiling point the midnight shouting match taking place on our street. I knew I had reached my boiling point with my students when I threatened all of them with detention.

2. The point at which a situation becomes critical, calamitous, or uncontrollable. Tensions in the region are at their boiling point—full-scale war seems inevitable now. Things are often tense between my mom and my aunt, and all of that reached a boiling point when they had to spend days together on our family vacation. They'd been unhappy for a while, so if they finally broke up, the bitterness and frustration must have come to a boiling point.

boiling point

A climax or crisis; a high degree of fury, excitement, or outrage. For example, The union's disgust with management has reached the boiling point. This metaphoric term alludes to the temperature at which water boils. [Second half of 1700s]

2. have a low boiling point. Become angry quite readily, as in Don't tease her anymore-she has a low boiling point. This phrase means that it takes less heat than usual for a boiling point to be reached. [First half of 1800s] Also see boil over; make one's blood boil.