raise the roof

1. Complain loudly and angrily, as in When the landlord increased the rent, the tenants raised the roof about his lack of repairs and maintenance . Both usages convey the image of the roof being lifted because it cannot contain either noise or rage. [ Slang ; mid-1800s] Also see hit the ceiling .

2. Be extremely noisy and boisterous, as in They'd had a lot to drink and were really raising the roof last night .

Example Sentences

Guests were dressed in sparkly sequins, a 20-piece orchestra raised the roof and Dawn French - as the Vicar of Dibley - gave a sermon at the lectern.

From BBC

The tomb became an enclosed vault after an 18th Century earl raised the roof.

From BBC

I was in the middle of “raising the roof” when a pocket-sized man approached me and asked if I liked his friend.

From Los Angeles Times

"Her voice is a wonder, both seductive and subtle, but big enough to raise the roof. It's an extraordinary performance in a beautiful rethinking of one of Lloyd Webber's greatest shows."

From BBC

“We added 100 square feet to the front of the house and raised the roof in the living room,” Cooke says.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• holler
• shout