flip (one's) lid
(redirected from flipping our lids)
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flip (one's) lid
1. To react to something with strong emotion. The reaction can be to something positive or negative. I had to talk to Mr. Myers about the botched report today, and boy, did he flip his lid. I knew Aunt June would be excited to hear I'm getting married, but she totally flipped her lid!
2. To go insane. Used humorously. Everyone thought I'd flipped my lid when I quit my lucrative marketing job and moved to India.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
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.
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.
flip your lid
INFORMALIf someone flips their lid, they become extremely angry or upset or go mad. Rosa flipped her lid and the confrontation with Sandra turned into a furious fight. She said, `Mom, I think you've flipped your lid.'
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
flip your lid
suddenly go mad or lose your self-control. informalA chiefly US variant of this phrase is flip your wig .
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
flip your ˈlid
(American English also flip your ˈwig) (informal)1 become very angry: When he saw the damage to his car, he flipped his lid.
2 go mad; become mentally ill: After the divorce, she just flipped her lid. She was in hospital for months.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
flip one’s lid
verbSee flip one’s wig
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
flip (one's) lid
Slang1. To react strongly, as with anger or enthusiasm.
2. To go crazy.
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.
flip one's lid, to
To lose one’s temper, or to become very excited. An American slang expression dating from the twentieth century, it implies the metaphor of a pot boiling over and pushing off its cover. It appeared in 1951 in the New York Times Book Review: “The funniest book of the lot is enough to make a reader ‘flip’ or ‘flip his lid.’” The closely related flip one’s wig needs no explanation.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer