beside oneself, to be
beside oneself (with something)
Fig. in an extreme state of some emotion. I was beside myself with joy. Sarah could not speak. She was beside herself with anger.
See also: beside
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
beside oneself
In a state of extreme agitation or excitement, as in She was beside herself when she found she'd lost her ring, or Peter was beside himself with joy-he'd won the poetry award. This phrase appears in the New Testament (Acts 26:24): "Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning makes thee mad." [Late 1400s]
See also: beside
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
beside oneself, to be
To be distraught with worry, grief, anger, happiness, or some other strong emotion. The expression appears in the King James Version of the Bible (Acts 26:24): “Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning makes thee mad.” It uses the adverb beside in an older sense, meaning “outside of,” so literally the phrase means “outside of oneself,” the self in question being one’s mental faculties.
See also: beside
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
- beside yourself
- beside (oneself)
- beside oneself
- cushion
- beside the cushion
- set beside
- juxtapose (someone or something) with (someone or something else)
- be beside (oneself)
- passage of arms
- know the drill