thrash around

thrash around

To move or flail around restlessly, wildly, or violently. The poor kid is in such pain with his toothache that he's been thrashing around in bed all night. The fox thrashed around trying to get free from the trap.
See also: around, thrash
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

thrash around

to move about restlessly or violently. Settle down and stop thrashing around. Timmy thrashed around all night when he had the high fever.
See also: around, thrash
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • flop around
  • find way around
  • bomb around
  • go around and around
  • get (someone) around the table
  • get around the table
  • around (one's) ears
  • gaze around
  • dart around
  • gaze around at (someone or something)
References in periodicals archive
It said: "Fight your instincts to panic and thrash around and lie back, extending your arms and legs.
It read: "Fight your instincts to panic and thrash around and lie back, extending your arms and legs.
"Follow the 'FLOAT to live' steps to give yourself the best chance, fight your instinct to thrash around, lean back, extend your arms and legs, if you need to, gently move them around to help you float, float until you can control your breathing and, only then, call for help or swim to safety." | For more information, please visit rnli.org/
We'd all be happier if we didn't thrash around so much, instead of fully inhabiting our lives, she points out, but she's right in there with us, figuring it out too.
When an avalanche is first spotted at the start of its fall, experts have suggested to thrash around or "swim" to allow time to stay atop the snow, making survival "more likely," avalanche forecaster John Snook told the (http://articles.latimes.com/2012/feb/21/nation/la-na-nn-avalanche-20120220) Lost Angeles Times.
The porpoise started to thrash around and make noises so had plenty of strength.
As we thrash around in the hope of getting out of a particular bunker, we only seem to succeed in digging ourselves deeper into the sand!
They may scream, shout and thrash around in extreme panic and even jump out of bed.
You stretch yourself a lot further this year and you thrash around some big, bold ideas in January.
For lobsters it can be three minutes and they may thrash around in a futile attempt to escape.
The look of the painting will depend on your sleep - a deep sleeper may encourage straight and simple lines, whereas those who thrash around all night, perhaps can expect something different in their paintings.
His arm got stuck in a rope attached to the lifesaving device, causing him to thrash around in panic in the freezing-cold lake.
England, meanwhile, could thrash around in honest pursuit of the ball and then resort to chucking it long to the big fella up front.
Guests tried to out-bid each other in a charity auction with the star prize being a VIP day at the internationally known Silverstone circuit and a chance to sit in the passenger seat of a Porsche GT2 Le Mans racing car for a thrash around a test track with a professional driver.
Unbeatable Rock Beat drumsticks - pounds 8.99 from www.firebox.com Thrash around in mid-air and these sticks will perform snare drum, tom-tom or crash cymbal sounds, switching from one to the other at the flick of a switch.