Out of Control: English Vocabulary List

(of an action) done due to one's pride being hurt or not being treated well

"He resigned in a fit of pique."

"In a fit of pique the actress quit the play because she did not get the dressing room she wanted."

(of a situation) to keep getting worse in an uncontrollable manner

"The situation is spiraling out of control."

"The small argument spiralled out of control and turned into a huge family fight."

without any prior planning or thought

"We decided on the spur of the moment."

"On the spur of the moment we decided to drive to the beach for the weekend."

at a time when anger or excitement completely overwhelm one, preventing any rational thought to come to mind

"He said it in the heat of the moment."

"In the heat of the argument he said things that he later deeply regretted saying."

to find it extremely difficult to control oneself, due to feeling really angry, excited, etc.

"She was beside herself yesterday."

"When he heard the terrible news, he was beside himself with grief and could not stop crying."

used to say that a situation is beyond human control and is left to fate or chance to determine

"It is in the gods' lap."

"The final outcome of the election is now in the lap of the gods, as the recount is complete."

to make a decision to do something solely based on one's emotions

"Don't let heart rule your head."

"She let her heart rule her head and accepted the job without thinking about the long-term consequences."

to be able to beat someone or something due to being superior in terms of skill or strength

"His anger got the better of him."

"The difficult conditions finally got the better of the hiker and he had to turn back down the mountain."

used to refer to a situation in which a person or thing that is important or powerful is being led or controlled by a significantly less powerful or important person or thing

"The new intern is telling senior staff what to do — that is the tail wagging the dog."

"When the marketing team started overriding engineering decisions, it was clearly a case of the tail wagging the dog."

(of a person) completely insane

"He is raving mad today."

"After working for twenty hours without rest, everyone thought he had gone completely raving bonkers."

to be unable to control oneself due to being under emotional or mental pressure

"She went to pieces after the news."

"After hearing the terrible news the poor woman went to pieces and could not stop crying."

to unexpectedly switch from the planned path

"The train jumped the tracks."

"The company jumped the tracks when it started ignoring customer complaints and quality control."

to allow oneself to behave freely and have fun

"He decided to cut loose and have fun."

"After graduating from university he cut loose and travelled around Asia for six months."

an unexpected or unusual occurrence or event that alters the course of events

"By a strange quirk of fate, we met again."

"By a quirk of fate they met again after twenty years at the same airport in Paris."

(of behavior) not in accordance with law and order and free from control

"His behavior was wild and woolly."

"The group's wild and woolly antics during the festival were both entertaining and slightly concerning."

to be unable to conceal one's strong feeling or urge

"He got the best of me."

"The overwhelming urge to eat the entire cake got the best of him."

used to say that something is out of control or unpredictable

"His life went off the rails."

"The project went off the rails when the manager quit and nobody took charge."