lid
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keep the lid on (something)
To quash or suppress something; to control something so as to keep it from flourishing, increasing, or succeeding. We need to keep the lid on rumors about the company going bankrupt. We decided to keep the lid on the project as we didn't have enough funds to see it through to the end.
blow a fuse
1. Literally, to suddenly lose power due to an overloaded electrical circuit. Well, we just blew a fuse—it seems that running the space heater, the coffee maker, and a blow dryer at the same time was not the best idea!
2. To react furiously and/or violently to something or someone, to the point of losing control of one's behavior. Mom totally blew a fuse when I told her I had failed math. Don't blow a fuse, it's just a tiny scratch on the car.
blow the lid off (something)
To expose something to the public, often something scandalous or deceptive. That company's stock price plummeted after the media blew the lid off the CEO's embezzlement scandal.
blow a fuse
1. to burn out the fuse on an electrical circuit and lose power. The microwave oven blew a fuse, so we had no power. You'll blow a fuse if you use too many appliances at once.
2. and blow one's fuse; blow a gasket; blow one's cork; blow one's lid; blow one's top; blow one's stack Fig. to explode with anger; to lose one's temper. Come on, don't blow a fuse. Go ahead, blow a gasket! What good will that do?
blow the lid off (something)
Sl. to expose something to public view. The police inspector blew the lid off the work of the gang of thugs. The investigation blew the lid off the scandal.
flip one's wig
and flip one's lidSl. to suddenly become angry, crazy, or enthusiastic. Whenever anyone mentions taxes, Mr. Jones absolutely flips his wig. Stop whistling. You're going to make me flip my lid.
*lid on something
1. Lit. a cover on something, such as a pot, pan, etc. (*Typically: get ~; keep ~; put ~.) Keep the lid on the pot until the stew is almost done. Put the lid on the skillet for just a little while.
2. Fig. a scheme to suppress a scandalous or embarrassing situation and keep it secret. (*Typically: get ~; keep ~; put ~.) We can't keep the lid on this any longer. The press has got wind of it.
take the lid off (of) something
and take the lid off1. Lit. to remove the lid from something. (Of is usually retained before pronouns.) I took the lid off the box and set it aside. Karen took off the lid.
2. Fig. to reveal a set of previously concealed problems. (Of is usually retained before pronouns.) You took the lid off this mess. You straighten it out! You took off the lid, so you have to settle it.
blow the lid off (something)
to make public something that was previously not known or was hidden He blew the lid off modern photography by publishing gritty, realistic pictures at a time when most photos showed a clean, happy world.
Usage notes: sometimes used with other verbs meaning "remove": Her novel tore the lid off small-town life.
keep a lid on (something)
to maintain control over something His forces kept a lid on unrest for nearly eight years.
put a lid on (something)
to stop something from increasing The mayor wants to put a lid on spending. Diplomats hope to put a lid on rising tensions between the two countries.
Usage notes: sometimes used in the form put a lid on it (stop complaining): Put a lid on it, Jeff, would you please?
blow a fuse/gasket
(informal) to become very angry and shout or behave in a violent way Jim'll blow a fuse if he finds you here. When her husband realised how much she'd spent he blew a gasket.
flip your lid
1. (humorous) to become crazy I thought he'd finally flipped his lid when he bought that old helicopter.
2. (informal) to suddenly become very angry She'll flip her lid when she finds out what's been going on.
See flip the birdkeep a lid on something
to control the level of something in order to stop it increasing Economic difficulties continued and the government intervened to keep a lid on inflation.
blow/take the lid off something
also lift the lid on something to cause something bad that was previously kept secret to be known by the public In 1989 they started an investigation that was to blow the lid off corruption in the police force.
See flip lid, keep a lid on, Put a lid on it!, put the lid onPut a lid on it!
(mainly American informal) something that you say in order to tell someone to stop talking Put a lid on it, you two! You've been shouting all afternoon.
put the lid on something
(British old-fashioned) if something that happens puts the lid on a plan, it causes the plan to fail When James resigned that put the lid on the whole project.
blow a fuse
Also, blow a gasket. Lose one's temper, express furious anger. For example, When his paycheck bounced, John blew a fuse, or Tell Mom what really happened before she blows a gasket. An electric fuse is said to "blow" (melt) when the circuit is overloaded, whereas a gasket, used to seal a piston, "blows" (breaks) when the pressure is too high. The first of these slangy terms dates from the 1930s, the second from the 1940s. Also see blow one's top; keep one's cool.
blow the lid off
Also, blow wide open. Expose, especially a scandal or illegal activity. For example, The newspaper's investigation blew the lid off the governor's awarding state contracts to his friends . [First half of 1900s]
flip one's lid
Also, flip one's wig; flip out. React very strongly or wildly, as with anger, surprise, or excitement; also, go crazy. For example, I'm going to flip my lid if he doesn't show up, or She really flipped out when she realized that she had won first prize, or I think Rob has flipped his wig. These slangy expressions, with their allusion to losing the top of one's head, date from the 1930s and 1940s.
put the lid on
Also, keep the lid on. Suppress, as in I don't know how but we'll have to put the lid on that rumor about her, or Let's keep the lid on our suspicions. The word lid here is used in the sense of "a cover for a container." [Early 1900s]
blow a fuse
and blow one’s fuse and blow a gasket and blow one’s cork and blow one’s lid and blow one’s top and blow one’s stack tv. to explode with anger; to lose one’s temper. Go ahead, blow a gasket! What good will that do? Crunk! I so blew my top!
blow one’s lid
verbSee blow a fuse
blow the lid off something
tv. to expose a scandal or corrupt practice; to expose political dishonesty. I’m going to blow the lid off another phony candidate.
flip one’s wig
and flip one’s lid tv. to go crazy; to lose control. I so flipped my lid when I got the news. I nearly flipped my wig when I heard.
flip one’s lid
verbSee flip one’s wig
lid
1. n. an eyelid. Her lids began to close, and the professor raised his voice to a roar.
2. n. one half to one ounce of marijuana. (Drugs. An amount that will fill a Prince Albert tobacco can lid. Often plural.) It looks like a matchbox to me. Why do they call it a lid?
3. n. a hat. Where did you get that silly lid?
lid proppers
and lid poppers n. amphetamine tablets or capsules. (Drugs. Refers to the eyelids.) Kelly has to have a couple of lid proppers each morning.
See also: lid
lid poppers
verbSee lid proppers
skid-lid
n. a motorcycle helmet. The law has no business telling me I gotta wear a skid-lid.
blow a fuse
/gasket Slang To explode with anger.
flip (one's) lid
Slang1. To react strongly, as with anger or enthusiasm.
2. To go crazy.
blow a fuse
Lose your temper. Back in the days before circuit breakers, a house's electrical system was regulated by a fuse box. Individual fuses connected to separate lines throughout the house were inserted into the box. When a circuit became overloaded, a thin metal strip in the fuse melted, breaking the circuit to prevent an overload and a possible fire. You'd then replace the fuse after disconnecting whatever appliance might have caused the overload. Someone who because very angry was said to blow a fuse, which doesn't make sense because a fuse was meant to defuse, so to speak, the situation. But no one ever said that idioms must be rational. Similar expressions that make more sense are “blow your stack,” which came from the era of steam engines that would explode if the steam wasn't allowed to explode, and “have a meltdown,” as in a nuclear reactor gone wild.