be on the warpath
be on the warpath
slang To be overtly angry and/or looking for retribution. One of many expressions often considered offensive for making reference to Native American stereotypes or tropes. I'd avoid the boss if I were you—he's on the warpath and screaming at everyone he sees.
See also: on, warpath
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
be/go on the ˈwarpath
(informal) be angry and ready for an argument or a fight about something: Look out — the boss is on the warpath again!In the past, if Native Americans were on the warpath, they were going to war or preparing to attack somebody.See also: go, on, warpath
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
on the warpath, to be/go
To be infuriated enough to seek out the person or agency responsible. This Native American term was used quite literally by James Fenimore Cooper in The Deerslayer (1841) to describe a character who had never engaged in battle (“He has never been on a warpath”). By the end of the nineteenth century it was loosely used to describe anyone on an angry rampage.
See also: go, on
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
- be/go on the warpath
- on the warpath, to be/go
- warpath
- exile (someone) from (some place) to (some place)
- gay
- exile (someone) to (some place)
- comeuppance
- on the warpath
- (as) gay as pink ink
- as gay as pink ink