Fit to be tied

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Meaning

So furious or agitated you're nearly out of control.

Origin

From 19th-century America, tied to restraining the violently mad; 'fit' for seizures or fits, 'tied' for binding, slang by the 1890s. A 1900 novel uses it for a ranting farmer.

Usage Examples

  • She was fit to be tied when he broke her vase.
  • He's fit to be tied; someone scratched his car!
  • I'm fit to be tied with all these delays.

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