blow (one's) fuse

To react furiously or violently, to the point of losing control of one's behavior. Mom totally blew her fuse when I told her I had failed math. Don't blow your fuse, it's just a tiny scratch on the car. The boss is definitely going to blow his fuse when he hears we lost that big client.

blow (one's) stack

To become very angry, often quickly. Oh man, Dad is going to blow his stack when he sees that I wrecked his car! The boss is definitely going to blow his stack when he hears we lost that big client. Mom totally blew her stack when I told her I had failed math.

blow (one's) top

To become very angry, often quickly. Oh man, Dad is going to blow his top when he sees that I wrecked his car! The boss is definitely going to blow his top when he hears we lost that big client. Mom totally blew her top when I told her I had failed math.

blow one's top

1. Also, blow one's stack. Fly into a rage; lose one's composure. For example, If she calls about this one more time I'm going to blow my top, or Warren is generally very easy-going, but today he blew his stack. The top here has been likened to the top of an erupting volcano; the stack alludes to a smokestack. [Slang; first half of 1900s]

2. Go crazy, become insane, as in When she regains consciousness, she just may blow her top. [Slang; first half of 1900s] Also see flip one's lid.

blow one’s fuse

verb

See blow a fuse

blow one’s stack

verb

See blow a fuse

blow one’s top

verb

See blow a fuse

blow one's top/stack/fuse, to

To lose one’s temper. The first two terms allude to clearing the stack of a ship by blowing air through it; the last refers to the sudden power stoppage when a fuse blows. All are slang from the first half of the twentieth century. Jane Smiley wrote in Horse Heaven (2000), “‘It’s kind of fun in a way. At least I get to blow my stack a lot and they don’t mind. Blowing your stack is the way they do things here.’”