vent spleen

vent (one's) spleen

To voice one's anger. Mom's been venting her spleen to me for an hour already. Apparently, Aunt Marie has wronged her yet again.

vent one's spleen

Fig. to get rid of one's feelings of anger caused by someone or something by attacking someone or something else. Jack vented his spleen at his wife whenever things went badly at work. Peter vented his spleen on his car by kicking it when it broke down.

See also: spleen, vent

References in periodicals archive ?

Coming just a week after the EU Referendum result, the Godiva Festival offered Sir Bob the perfect chance to vent spleen over a fractious campaign which saw the rocker take on Nigel Farage in a bizarre confrontation on the River Thames.

2016 GODIVA FESTIVAL, COVENTRY REVIEW

because he is a quality managerIt is a cardinal sin at any level of the game to vent spleen at your players

MADNESS; Benitez and Mancini have paid the price for not massaging the egos of Chelsea and City stars

So far thousands of residents have turned out to vent spleen against the scheme.

Stations fight goestothe top; CAMPAIGN: Prime Minister 'concerned' at closure plan

He said: "The predominant lines are those that allow us to vent spleen, to put people down.

ARNIE TERMINATES MOVIE 1-LINER POLL

They read extensively among records of widely varying objectivity and ranging in perspective from "speculative sentimentality" to "books perpetrated solely to vent spleen.