to distraction

to distraction

To a point in which one is very upset, irritated, or angry and one is unable to focus as a result. Used especially after the verb "drive." Leave your sister alone—she's got to finish her homework, and you are driving her to distraction.
See also: distraction
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

to diˈstraction

so that you become upset, excited or angry and not able to think clearly: The children are driving me to distraction today.
See also: distraction
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • drive (one) out of office
  • force (one) out of office
  • force out of office
  • 1FTR
  • cooking for one
  • give (one) (one's) head
  • give head
  • give somebody their head
  • give someone their head
  • as one door closes, another opens
References in classic literature
You are not only driving me to distraction but also ruining yourself with this eternal solicitude for your reputation.
"How could you," cries Jones, "mention two words sufficient to drive me to distraction?"--"Either of them are enough to drive any man to distraction," answered the old man.
"Ah, my love," answered Anna Mikhaylovna, "God grant you never know what it is to be left a widow without means and with a son you love to distraction! One learns many things then," she added with a certain pride.
According to research by McCarthy and colleagues (2014), it is essential that clinicians match approaches to distraction with the child's risk of distress.
"[But] there is more to distraction than just visual attention.
"I found that young men were among the most likely to report distraction," said study lead author Ole Johansson of Norway's Institute of Transport Economics."Others more prone to distraction include those who drive often, and those with neurotic and extroverted personalities." According to the study authors, the World Health Organization estimates that more than a million lives are lost on roadways each year due to distracted driving.
If he has the basics well under control, then it's time to move on to distraction. And like all of the necessary training, it starts with a simple drill.
Driven to Distraction at Work: How to Focus and Be More Productive by Edward M.
MORE than 90% of parents admit they are driven to distraction by their children and could be at risk while driving.
But on the other hand, they lead to distraction among students while attending classes.
The authors compared acceptance to distraction, when both interventions involved a short protocol with examples, a metaphor, and an exercise aimed at coping with the experimentally induced pain.
They occur usually as a result of tension generated due to distraction, occurring when the muscle length becomes relatively short compared to that of bone.
On his first flight in this aircraft type, the pilot learned handheld digital navigation tools can contribute to distraction after he flew into Class D airspace.
But distraction is not all bad, and Wieth and Zacks have demonstrated that we can use our increased susceptibility to distraction at off-peak times to our advantage.
Lafeber's group, but patients were randomized to distraction alone or to distraction plus continuous passive joint motion.