climb the walls
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To be anxious or annoyed to the point of frenzy. If she makes another foolish blunder like that, I'll be ready to climb the walls. The doctor hasn't called me with the test results yet, so I've been climbing the walls.
climbing the walls
Anxious or annoyed to the point of frenzy. The doctor hasn't called me with the test results yet, so I've been climbing the walls. If she makes another foolish blunder like that, I'll be climbing the walls.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
climb the wall(s)
Fig. to be very agitated, anxious, bored, or excited. He was home for only three days; then he began to climb the wall. I was climbing the walls to get back to work.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
climb the walls
Show extreme frustration, impatience, or anxiety, as in That long, boring banquet made me want to climb the walls, or If he says that one more time I'll be ready to climb the walls. Although describing a military maneuver dating from ancient times, this slangy phrase has been used figuratively to express strong negative feeling only since about 1970. Also see under drive someone crazy.
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.
climb the wall
verbSee climb the walls
climb the wall(s)
tv. to do something desperate when one is anxious, bored, or excited. I was climbing the walls to get back to work.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
climb the walls
To be anxious or frantic.
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.
climb the wall(s), to
To be driven to action out of restlessness or frustration. In the Book of Joel (2:7) the writer says, “They shall climb the wall like men of war,” and, in fact, until relatively recent times cities and towns were surrounded by defensive walls, which protected them against their enemies. The fierceness of attackers who climbed such walls survives in the sense of frenzy suggested by the modern cliché. See also drive (someone) up the wall.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer