Sadness or Discontent, Unhappiness & Disappointment, Anger and 6 More Topics · English Idioms: Feelings

(of an unfortunate event) making one feel extreme guilt or sadness

"The lie is heavy on my conscience."

"The secret he had been keeping for years weighed heavily on his conscience and caused him many sleepless nights."

to easily defeat someone by being more skilled, powerful, or aggressive compared to them

"The sharks will eat him alive."

"In the competitive business world, unprepared individuals can easily be eaten alive by more aggressive competitors."

a feeling like something is stuck in one's throat, often caused by strong emotions or the need to cry

"I got a lump in my throat."

"When she saw her daughter graduate she had a lump in her throat and tears in her eyes."

to feel deep sadness or disappointment, especially over a lost opportunity or unfulfilled desire

"He ate his heart out."

"She ate her heart out when she realized she had missed the opportunity to travel the world."

to cause strong and overwhelming emotional reactions, often leading to a burst of tears, feelings, or memories

"The news opened the floodgates quickly."

"When she started crying, it opened the floodgates and everyone began to share their feelings."

a state of great annoynce or anger

"His nose is out of joint."

"She got her nose out of joint when her colleague received the promotion she wanted."

to take advice or criticism very seriously and let it greatly influence one's decisions

"Do not take criticism to heart."

"She took her teacher's criticism to heart and worked very hard to improve her writing skills."

in a place or situation that is unsuitable or disadvantageous to one

"At the fancy dinner, I felt out of my element."

"The city boy felt out of his element when he tried to help on his friend's farm for the first time."

annoyed or disgusted by someone or something one has been dealing with for a long time

"I am sick and tired of his lies."

"I am sick and tired of listening to you complain all the time without doing anything to fix your problems."

very sad and hopeless

"He felt down in the dumps."

"After losing his job, he was down in the dumps for several weeks."

to cry a lot in front of others in order to make them feel guilty or sad

"Cry me a river."

"He tried to make his parents feel guilty by crying them a river over the broken toy."

a state of great sorrow and sadness caused by the ending of a romantic relationship or the death of a loved one

"She had a broken heart."

"His broken heart made it hard for him to trust again."

to make someone who loves one go through deep emotional pain and sorrow

"The sad news broke my heart."

"It broke her heart when her best friend moved to another country without even saying goodbye properly."

to make someone experience extreme pain or distress

"It will eat me alive."

"The overwhelming guilt from his mistake threatened to eat him alive if he didn't confess."

to cause strong and overwhelming emotional reactions, often leading to a burst of tears, feelings, or memories

"It opened the floodgates."

"Hearing the sad news about her childhood pet opened the floodgates of her long-suppressed emotions."

a feeling or attitude that makes one believe that things can only get worse after a certain point

"The forecast is all doom and gloom."

"The weather forecast was all doom and gloom predicting rain and storms for the entire weekend ahead."

to cause someone to cry or become emotional to a significant degree

"Her speech reduced me to tears."

"The teacher's harsh criticism reduced the sensitive student to tears in front of the whole class."

to cry a lot and in length

"She cried her eyes out yesterday."

"The little boy sobbed his heart out when his best friend moved away."

used to express one's sadness or disappointment about something

"Her heart sank down fast."

"When she saw the final exam results posted on the board, her heart sank because she realized she had failed despite studying very hard."

feeling sad or discouraged

"He is down in the mouth."

"She has been feeling quite down in the mouth since she lost her job last month."

something that proves to be very shocking and disappointing to one, in a way that ruins one's good mood

"Losing my job was a real kick in the teeth."

"Losing his job just before Christmas was a real kick in the teeth for the young father."

used to describe an individual who is really depressed or sad

"He looked like a dying duck."

"After failing the exam, he wandered around the house looking like a dying duck in a thunderstorm."

a period of time during which one feels extremely miserable and depressed

"He's in a dark mood."

"Ever since the argument, she has been in a dark mood and refusing to speak to anyone."

a disappointed or sad facial expression

"Why do you have long face?"

"He pulled a long face when he heard that the concert tickets had already sold out completely."

irritated, upset, or slightly unwell

"I feel out of sorts."

"The baby was out of sorts all morning, crying and refusing to eat his breakfast."

used to describe a person who is feeling mentally disturbed or unbalanced

"He is out of whack."

"After the traumatic event, he seemed completely out of whack, unable to function normally."

an outburst of anger or frustration, often characterized by uncontrollable emotional and irrational behavior

"She threw a hissy fit in the store."

"She threw a hissy fit in the store when the cashier told her she could not return a used item."

used to refer to someone who is extremely furious and is ready to start a fight or argument

"His blood is up."

"When he heard the insult, his blood was up, and he immediately challenged the speaker."

said of a woman who is behaving very angrily and cannot be reasoned with, due to being in her menstruation period

"She is on the rag today."

"She snapped at everyone in the office and later explained she was on the rag and feeling particularly irritable that day."

used to emphasize or demonstrate that one is extremely unhappy, angry, or irritated

"She left the meeting in high dudgeon."

"She left the meeting in high dudgeon after the manager dismissed her excellent suggestion without even considering it properly."

in a highly agitated or furious state, characterized by the inability to think rationally or make logical decisions

"She left in a huff."

"After being denied the promotion, he stormed out of the office in a huff."

feeling extremely angry

"He was hopping mad."

"The driver was hopping mad when he discovered his car had been towed from the parking spot."

irritated or enraged to the point of frustration

"He got bent out of shape."

"She became quite bent out of shape when her flight was unexpectedly canceled."

to be extremely angry or upset about something

"They are up in arms."

"The local community is up in arms about the proposed construction of a new factory nearby."

to make someone extremely annoyed or enraged

"That sound sets my teeth on edge."

"The sound of fingernails scraping across a chalkboard really sets my teeth on edge every single time."

to cause someone to become extremely angry

"That makes my blood boil."

"The blatant disregard for safety regulations made the inspector's blood boil."

to become extremely excited or enthusiastic about something

"Fans went ape."

"The crowd began to go ape when their favorite band finally appeared on stage."

an imaginary pill that is recommended to an angry or anxious person to take as a way of asking them to relax or calm down

"Take a chill pill."

"When he started yelling, his friend told him to take a chill pill and calm down."

to make someone extremely angry

"That noise drives me up wall."

"My neighbor's dog barks loudly every single night, and it is slowly driving me up the wall because I cannot get any sleep."

used to tell or remind someone not to get too upset or excited about something

"Keep your hair on, please!"

"Keep your hair on; there's no need to panic, we will find a solution to this problem."

to mention or do something that causes someone to become upset or angry

"That touched a raw nerve."

"When he mentioned her failed exam, he really hit a sensitive nerve and she started crying."

to intentionally make someone extremely angry

"He wants a rise out of you."

"The mischievous child loved to get a rise out of his older sister by teasing her."

to become extremely angry

"They went ape."

"When the team scored the winning goal in the final seconds, the entire stadium went ape with excitement."

to verbally or physically attack someone or something when one is angry about someone or something else

"He vented his spleen."

"After a frustrating day at work, he came home and vented his spleen on the unfortunate house cat."

to become greatly annoyed or angry

"She lost her head."

"During the heated debate, he lost his head and started shouting insults at the other participants."

to become extremely angry with someone or something

"He hit the roof."

"When the company announced the layoffs, the employees hit the roof in disbelief and anger."

to react to something in a very angry and furious way

"He went up the wall."

"When he saw the mess, he went up the wall in sheer frustration."

to lose one's temper or become really upset

"She went spare yesterday."

"The constant delays caused the normally calm driver to go spare."

to suddenly and violently express one's anger

"He went off end."

"When he discovered his car had been scratched, he went off the deep end and started shouting."

to fail to control one's anger

"Mom blew her top."

"My father blew his top when he saw the huge phone bill that I had run up last month."

to become crazy and completely lose control of one's thoughts and emotions

"He has lost his marbles."

"After years of stress, it seemed he had finally lost his marbles."

mentally confused and incapable of behaving in a reasonable way

"He is around the bend."

"The isolation of the desert island had driven the castaway around the bend."

to act in a very wild or extreme manner, often showing intense anger, excitement, or joy

"They went nuts then."

"The crowd went nuts when their team scored the winning goal."

used to refer to something that will surely make someone angry

"It was like a rag."

"His sarcastic remarks were like a red rag to a bull for his opponent."

used to refer to a state in which someone is extremely nervous and unable to relax

"The loud noise put me on edge."

"The constant loud noises from the construction site have been putting everyone on edge all week long."

a situation or discussion that is filled with intense emotions, arguments, or conflict and lacks clear or useful information

"It had more heat."

"The political debate generated more heat than light, with no real solutions offered."

a tendency to quickly lose one's temper

"He has a quick temper."

"Be careful what you say to him, as he has a notoriously quick temper and gets angry easily."

to lose one's temper or become really upset

"He will go spare."

"If you keep making noise, my father will inevitably go spare."

to get extremely angry, upset, or frustrated and behave in an uncontrolled manner

"He threw a wobbler."

"When his flight was cancelled, he threw a complete wobbler at the gate."

to display one's anger or frustration by complaining or shouting, particularly for a while

"He ranted and raved."

"The customer began to rant and rave about the poor service he received."

to show one's disagreement, complaint, pain, or anger by shouting or screaming very loudly and in length

"She screamed murder."

"When the child stubbed his toe, he started to scream blue murder."

one's tendency to suddenly become enraged due to having low tolerance

"He has short fuse."

"With his short fuse, it's best to avoid any topics that might upset him."

to become extremely angry, agitated, or upset

"He went through roof."

"When he discovered the betrayal, his anger went through the roof."

(of a person) very angry or upset about something unpleasant that has happened

"Do not get so worked up."

"The politician got all worked up during the debate and started shouting at his opponent loudly."

used to refer to a situation in which one becomes extremely angry, causing one's face to turn red

"He was red as cherry."

"After the argument, his face was as red as a cherry from embarrassment and anger."

to do something that makes someone become extremely angry

"His rude tone made my hackles rise."

"The rude comment from my coworker made my hackles rise and I felt furious inside."

to suddenly become enraged and uncontrollably angry

"He saw red and shouted."

"When she discovered the betrayal, she saw red and immediately confronted her so-called best friend."

used to describe someone who suddenly becomes very angry and is unable to stay calm

"Dad was mad as a hornet today."

"She was as mad as a hornet when she discovered that someone had scratched her brand new car in the parking lot."

to suddenly become angry

"Dad flew off the handle."

"My boss flew off the handle when he found out that the important project had been delayed again."

to suddenly lose one's temper and become extremely angry

"He blew a fuse at work."

"My dad blew a fuse when he saw the huge electricity bill that arrived in the mail last Monday morning."

to become extremely furious about something

"He was foaming at the mouth."

"The manager was frothing at the mouth when he found out the entire shipment had been delivered to the wrong address."

extremely furious or upset

"He gets hot under the collar when people are late."

"My boss gets hot under the collar whenever someone arrives late for an important meeting."

(of a person) severely irritated or enraged

"She was fit to be tied after the delay."

"When I came home three hours late my mother was fit to be tied."

to suddenly become extremely angry

"Mom went ballistic yesterday evening."

"My father went ballistic when he learned that his son had crashed his motorcycle on the highway last weekend."

to become really angry in a way that causes one to act uncontrollably

"She did her nut at him."

"My brother did his nut when he found out that his best friend had lied about the whole situation."

to become extremely angry, agitated, or upset

"She will go through the roof."

"He went through the roof when he discovered his car had been stolen."

used to refer to a situation in which one becomes extremely angry, causing one's face to turn red

"He was red as a cherry."

"The politician's face turned as red as a cherry when his lies were exposed."

constantly annoying and interrupting others and their work

"He is under my feet."

"The energetic puppy was constantly under my feet while I tried to cook dinner."

to do something that gradually makes someone angry or upset

"This loud music is trying my patience."

"The constant noise from the construction site is really trying my patience today."

to do or say something that really annoys, upsets, or offends others

"Her comment ruffled his feathers."

"His arrogant attitude ruffled my feathers and I had to walk away calmly."

to cause someone to become extremely angry or upset without intending to

"His tone rubs me."

"His condescending attitude tended to rub many people the wrong way, even if he didn't mean to."

to make someone become really annoyed or angry

"His words put my back up."

"Her condescending tone immediately put my back up during the meeting."

to not have the tolerance to endure more of something

"I have had it up to here with your excuses."

"I have had it up to here with your constant complaining so please stop right now."

to irritate someone to the point of frustration

"That noise gets under my skin."

"My colleague's constant complaining really gets under my skin because it makes the whole office feel negative and unpleasant."

to really annoy or frustrate someone

"Loud noise gets my goat."

"It really gets my goat when people are rude and disrespectful to others."

to stop bothering someone so that they can have peace or freedom from annoyance or interference

"I will get out of your hair."

"Please go play in the other room and get out of my hair for a while."

to start one's day with a bad mood, without any reason in particular

"She got up on the wrong side of the bed."

"I think he got up on the wrong side of the bed because he has been rude to everyone at the office all morning."

to make someone really mad by constantly doing something that angers or annoys them

"That loud music is getting on my nerves."

"The constant sound of the construction work outside is starting to get on my nerves."

to finally stop criticizing or annoying someone

"Get off my back, please."

"After weeks of constant nagging, his parents finally told him to get off their backs."

showing a very bad mood and reacting unpleasantly to things that would not normally be a problem

"Do not talk to him, he is like a bear with a sore head."

"Do not talk to my father this morning because he is like a bear with a sore head."

very annoyed, frustrated, or displeased about something

"I am really cheesed off about the delay."

"The employees were cheesed off about working overtime without receiving any extra pay for their efforts."

extremely dissatisfied or irritated

"He is browned off with his job."

"I am browned off with waiting for the bus every day because it is never on time."

to make a person upset or offended, particularly by interfering in their responsibilities

"I hope I did not step on anyone's toes."

"I did not mean to step on your toes when I offered my opinion during the meeting."

to do something that annoys or irritates someone

"He knows exactly how to push my buttons."

"My little brother knows exactly how to push my buttons and make me angry."

left with no energy or patience to deal with something

"I am at my end's rope."

"After dealing with the constant problems, the teacher was at the end of her rope."

to no longer have the tolerance to endure more of something

"I have had enough of this nonsense."

"I have had enough of your excuses so please stop lying and tell me the truth."

very annoyed with a situation that has gone on for an extended period of time

"I am sick to the back teeth."

"She was fed up to the back teeth with her neighbors who played loud music every single night until three in the morning."

used to describe someone who is very unpleasant or bad-tempered

"Her face was sour as vinegar."

"The old man next door is as sour as vinegar and never smiles or says hello to anyone on the street."

to persistently annoy someone by doing something or by simply being around them

"My little brother always gets in my hair."

"My little brother always gets in my hair when I am trying to study for important exams."

to annoy someone by behaving in a very aggressive or direct manner

"Stop getting in my face!"

"He has a habit of getting in people's face when he disagrees with them."

to annoy someone so much that they run out of patience

"It gets up my nose."

"His constant whistling really gets up my nose when I'm trying to concentrate."

to constantly annoy someone and ruin their concentration

"It drove me to distraction."

"The incessant dripping of the faucet threatened to drive her to distraction."

to force someone do something that is against their will or by putting a lot of pressure on them

"She is on my back."

"My parents are always on my back about finding a more stable job."

to closely watch someone and everything they do, particularly in a way that makes them feel uncomfortable

"Stop breathing down my neck."

"My boss is constantly breathing down my neck, making it difficult to concentrate on my work."

closely following or pursuing someone or something, often in a persistent or bothersome manner

"He is on my heels."

"The determined detective was hot on the suspect's heels, determined to catch him before he escaped."

to become suddenly very angry, often to the point of shouting or behaving in an aggressive manner

"He lost his cool then."

"The normally calm teacher lost her cool when the student refused to follow instructions."

in a state where a person is so confused or frustrated that they are unable to decide what to do anymore

"I am at my wit's end."

"After trying every possible solution, the mechanic was at his wit's end with the car's persistent problem."

to suddenly become very angry so that one completely loses control over one's thoughts and actions

"He lost his shit."

"When the train was delayed for the third time, the impatient passenger completely lost his shit."

a thoroughly mean, despicable, or disagreeable person

"That son of a bitch!"

"He was known throughout the town as a real son of a bitch who always looked out for himself."

used to refer to a person one is very annoyed with or hates

"He is a son of a gun."

"That son of a gun stole my parking spot again!"

closely following or pursuing someone or something, often in a persistent or bothersome manner

"He is on one's heels."

"The detective was hot on one's heels, determined to catch the fleeing suspect before dawn."

a state characterized by great excitement or agitation

"The crowd reached fever pitch."

"The anticipation for the championship game had reached fever pitch among the devoted fans."

to make someone extremely excited

"The race got my heart racing fast."

"The thrilling roller coaster ride set my heart racing from start to finish."

in a way one desires without being concerned about the future

"They partied like there was no tomorrow."

"The students celebrated their graduation by dancing and singing as if there was no time tomorrow."

to demonstrate signs of anxiousness, anger, or frustration in difficult situations

"I pulled my hair out yesterday."

"I was tearing my hair out trying to finish the project before the deadline."

in a very nervous or excited state because of something that is going to happen

"I have been on pins and needles all day."

"The anxious mother was on pins and needles while waiting for her son surgery results."

used to describe someone who is in a very agitated state of mind

"He was like a cat on a hot tin roof."

"The nervous speaker paced the stage like a cat on a hot tin roof before his speech."

to be really excited or nervous about what is going to happen

"I get butterflies in my stomach before a test."

"Before her big speech she had butterflies in her stomach and her hands were shaking nervously."

an intense feeling of suspense, fear, or nervousness

"My heart was in my mouth."

"With my heart in my mouth, I stepped onto the stage to give my speech."

a sense of anxiety or urgency, because there is a lot that one must do quickly

"It was panic stations."

"With the deadline looming, it was panic stations in the office as everyone rushed to complete their tasks."

to have a hard time staying calm due to being extremely nervous or excited about something

"The kids had ants in pants."

"My little brother had ants in his pants all morning because he was so excited about going to the amusement park with his friends."

to have a tendency to become worried over something that has not yet happened

"Don't meet trouble halfway, relax."

"She always meets trouble halfway instead of waiting to see what actually happens."

to become extremely angry, agitated, or uncontrollably violent, typically in a workplace

"He went postal at the office."

"After months of stress, he finally went postal and shouted at his boss."

used to describe someone who is extremely confused and excited

"He ran around like a chicken with its head cut off."

"After losing his keys he ran around like a chicken with its head cut off searching everywhere frantically."

a sudden physical reaction to a strong emotional experience, such as fear, excitement, or awe, typically characterized by a cold or trembling sensation running down the back

"A chill ran down my spine."

"The ghost story sent a shiver down my spine during the campfire."

to experience a breakdown or failure due to overwhelming stress or pressure

"She fell apart at the seams."

"After losing his job, he began to fall apart at the seams emotionally."

in a very troubled or nervous state

"She got in a stew over the broken vase."

"She was in a stew about her upcoming exam, worrying she hadn't studied enough to pass."

to be really stressed, angry, or upset about something that has happened or is going to happen

"Mom will have a cow if she sees this."

"My mother is going to have a cow when she finds out that I accidentally broke her favorite vase yesterday."

having a strong and urgent desire to do something

"She is hot to trot."

"The team is hot to trot to win the championship this year."

to avoid doing or saying something that would embarrass someone

"He apologized to spare her blushes."

"The kind teacher spared my blushes by not announcing my low test score to the whole class."

to behave in a very foolish and embarrassing way in the presence of others

"He made a spectacle of himself."

"She made a spectacle of herself by dancing wildly at the formal dinner party."

used to wish that one could disappear or not have existed at all so as not to have to tolerate such embarrassment

"I wanted the earth to swallow me."

"When he realized he had accidentally sent the embarrassing email to the entire company, he wished the earth would open up and swallow him."

turning red in the face out of embarrassment

"He was as red as a beet."

"She turned as red as a beet when everyone started laughing at her mistake."

used to refer to a situation in which one becomes extremely angry, causing one's face to turn red

"He was red as cherry."

"After the argument, his face was as red as a cherry from embarrassment and anger."

to have no choice but to do something that is embarrassing in one's standards

"He swallowed his pride and apologized."

"I had to swallow my pride and apologise to my younger brother for being so rude."

to do or say something that leads to someone's embarrassment

"I put my foot in my mouth."

"I really put my foot in my mouth when I asked about her husband, not knowing they had recently divorced."

a situation in which one is badly embarrassed because of what one did or said

"He had egg on his face."

"After his confident prediction of victory proved wrong, the politician was left with egg on his face."

to regret or feel bad about what one has said earlier

"He had to eat dirt."

"The arrogant businessman was forced to eat dirt when his flawed business plan failed spectacularly."

to admit one's mistakes or accept a humiliating situation or defeat

"He had to eat humble pie."

"The proud athlete had to eat humble pie after losing the match to a much younger opponent."

feeling severely ashamed or embarrassed

"He was red in the face from embarrassment."

"The embarrassed boy turned red in the face when the teacher caught him cheating on the test."

used to describe someone who is extremely red in the face due to embarrassment

"She was red as a cherry."

"After tripping in front of everyone, he was as red as a cherry."

to regret or feel bad about what one has said earlier

"He must eat dirt."

"After his harsh words, he had to eat dirt and apologize sincerely."