Fit to be tied
Suggest a CorrectionMeaning
Extremely angry, irritated, or agitated. Informal and hyperbolic. It normally means very angry, not literally violent or in need of restraint. Regional use: Now especially common in United States informal English, with earlier British evidence.
Origin
Here fit has an older sense close to ready, likely, or in such a state as to require what follows. The image is of anger so extreme that the person seems ready to be physically restrained, although ordinary uses are deliberate exaggeration. Researcher Michael Quinion found British evidence from 1819 and an American example from 1849, substantially earlier than the dates often repeated in idiom dictionaries. Nothing in those citations specifically identifies a straitjacket, an institution, or a medical seizure as the source.
Research Sources
Usage Examples
- Dad was fit to be tied when the builders drilled through the new water pipe.
- After waiting three hours for a cancelled train, the passengers were fit to be tied.
- She looked fit to be tied, but paused before replying to the accusation.