have a fit

Idioms and Phrases

Also, have fits or a conniption fit ; take or throw a fit ; have kittens . Become extremely upset. For example, She'll have a fit when she sees Anne wearing the same dress , or Mom had a conniption fit when she heard about the broken mirror , or Don't take a fit—the car's not really damaged , or Jill was having kittens over the spoiled cake . One can also give someone a fit or fits , as in His dithering about punctuation is enough to give me fits . Fit and fits , along with conniption fit , have been used in hyperbolic expressions to denote a bout of hysterics since the 1830s; throw a fit was first recorded in 1906, and have a fit in 1924; have kittens , alluding to being so upset as to bear kittens, also dates from about 1900.

Related Words

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