blow one's top/stack/fuse, to
blow one's top
1. Also, blow one's stack. Fly into a rage; lose one's composure. For example, If she calls about this one more time I'm going to blow my top, or Warren is generally very easy-going, but today he blew his stack. The top here has been likened to the top of an erupting volcano; the stack alludes to a smokestack. [Slang; first half of 1900s]
2. Go crazy, become insane, as in When she regains consciousness, she just may blow her top. [Slang; first half of 1900s] Also see flip one's lid.
See also: blow, top
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
blow one's top/stack/fuse, to
To lose one’s temper. The first two terms allude to clearing the stack of a ship by blowing air through it; the last refers to the sudden power stoppage when a fuse blows. All are slang from the first half of the twentieth century. Jane Smiley wrote in Horse Heaven (2000), “‘It’s kind of fun in a way. At least I get to blow my stack a lot and they don’t mind. Blowing your stack is the way they do things here.’”
See also: blow, stack, top
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
- blow one’s lines
- blow one’s stack
- blow (one's) stack
- blow your stack
- cover
- tops
- blow your top
- blow (one's) top
- blow one’s top
- blow one's top