fly off the handle

• Audio (US):

  (file)

fly off the handle (third-person singular simple present flies off the handle, present participle flying off the handle, simple past flew off the handle, past participle flown off the handle)

1. (colloquial, idiomatic) To become very angry or enraged; to throw a fit or go crazy.

   My dad flew off the handle when he saw the F grade on my report card.

   • 2025 June 7, Edward Helmore, quoting JD Vance, “Trump warns Musk of ‘very serious consequences’ if he backs Democrats”, in The Guardian‎^[1], →ISSN:

     But he added: “Look, it happens to everybody. I’ve flown off the handle way worse than Elon Musk did in the last 24 hours.”