bent out of shape

bent out of shape

1. Of a person, upset or angry. Don't get all bent out of shape—I'm sure she didn't mean to insult you. You should apologize to Phil before he gets bent out of shape. Oh, Trish is always bent out of shape about one thing or another. I try to ignore her myself.

2. Of an object, misshapen or misaligned. Ever since the car accident, my passenger-side door has been bent out of shape. Mom, would you just buy a new frame already? This one's pretty bent out of shape after 20 years. What happened to the gutter in the back of the house? Why is it all bent out of shape?

See also: bent, of, out, shape

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

bend someone out of shape

Fig. to make someone angry. The cheating that was going on really bent Joe out of shape. Why do you let yourself get bent out of shape? Chill, man, chill.

See also: bend, of, out, shape

bend something out of shape

to distort something by twisting or bending. Jill bent the spring out of shape. I bent the coat hanger out of shape by hanging my leather jacket on it.

See also: bend, of, out, shape

bent out of shape

 

1. Fig. angry; insulted. Man, there is no reason to get so bent out of shape. I didn't mean any harm. I got bent out of shape because of the way I was treated.

2. intoxicated by alcohol or drugs. I was so bent out of shape I thought I'd never recover. I've been polluted, but never as bent out of shape as this.

See also: bent, of, out, shape

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

bent out of shape

1. Infuriated, annoyed, as in Don't let Paul get you bent out of shape-calm down.

2. Shocked, astonished, as in That conservative audience was bent out of shape by his speech. [Slang; second half of 1900s] Also see in good condition (shape).

See also: bent, of, out, shape

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

bent out of shape

AMERICAN, INFORMAL

If someone is bent out of shape, they are angry or worried about something. People get bent out of shape if you don't pronounce their names right. The disease is on the rise and everybody's all bent out of shape about it.

See also: bent, of, out, shape

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

bent out of shape

angry or agitated. North American informal

1994 David Spencer Alien Nation 6: Passing Fancy Max Corigliano was there…and bent out of shape about having been made to wait so long.

See also: bent, of, out, shape

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

bent out of shape

1. mod. angry; insulted. Man, there is no reason to get so bent out of shape. I didn’t mean any harm.

2. n. alcohol or drug intoxicated. I was so bent out of shape I thought I’d never recover.

See also: bent, of, out, shape

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

bend out of shape

Slang

To annoy or anger.

See also: bend, of, out, shape

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

bent out of shape

Angry, quite upset, agitated. This likening of a distorted object to a loss of temper or composure dates from the 1960s. Earlier, the same slangy term had been used for “intoxicated,” and also for “unwell.” It occasionally still is. However, most often it denotes extreme anger. For example, “The bride’s going to be two hours late, but don’t get all bent out of shape.”

See also: bent, of, out, shape

The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer