in a state

in a state

1. Agitated, anxious, or upset. Tommy's been in a state ever since we took his video games away from him.
2. Chaotic or unruly; disheveled; very messy or untidy. I'd invite you in for a cup of tea, but the house is in a state at the moment. My hair was in a state when I woke up this morning, and I haven't been able to do anything with it all day!
See also: state
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

in a state

see under in a lather.
See also: state
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
See also:
  • be in a state
  • ever more
  • ever more...
  • Look at what the cat dragged in!
  • Look what the cat dragged in!
  • look what the cat('s) dragged in
  • look what the cat's dragged in
  • climb the wall(s), to
  • slob
  • fomp
References in classic literature
He chuckled, roared, half suffocated himself by laughing large pieces of beef into his windpipe, roared again, persisted in eating at the same time, got red in the face and black in the forehead, coughed, cried, got better, went off again laughing inwardly, got worse, choked, had his back thumped, stamped about, frightened his wife, and at last recovered in a state of the last exhaustion and with the water streaming from his eyes, but still faintly ejaculating, 'A godfeyther--a godfeyther, Tilly!' in a tone bespeaking an exquisite relish of the sally, which no suffering could diminish.
Wesleyan, for example, would often consider applicants with SAT scores of 1200 or lower if they had other attributes that the institution was seeking--such as mastery of an instrument in short supply (like the tuba or bassoon), residency in a state with low representation on campus (Nebraska), or identification with a minority group.
Redlener had watched a homemade video of Elian released by the Miami family earlier that week, and had concluded that the boy was in a state of imminent danger to his physical and emotional well-being in a home that I consider to be psychologically abusive."
If Elian returns to Cuba, he apparently will be housed in a state school for at least three months by a regime that considers children its property.
In each situation, the LLC is assumed to be formed and operated in a state that permits an LLC to have a single owner.