climb the walls
To behave in a distressed or frantic manner; to exhibit great agitation.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“I am climbing the walls waiting for these test results.”
“After being stuck inside the house for three days due to the storm, the children were climbing the walls.”
“Confined to his small office for the entire weekend to finish the report, he began to climb the walls from sheer frustration.”
- 01
back to the wall
A very difficult situation with no beneficial options available for action.
- 02
balls to the wall
With maximum effort or commitment.
- 03
bang one's head against a brick wall
To waste effort on a futile project.
- 04
blue wall of silence
Strict secretiveness maintained by the members of a police force with respect to information which might be contrary to their interests, especially information concerning questionable police actions.
- 05
bounce off the walls
To be overly active relative to the enclosed space in which one is.
- 06
break the fourth wall
To apparently communicate with reality directly, such as when characters of literature comment on the existence of a reader.
- 07
Chinese Wall
An information barrier within an organization, designed to ensure internal confidentiality; frequently used to prevent conflicts of interest.
- 08
climb down
An abandonment, withdrawal from, or softening of a previously expressed opinion, policy, argument, etc.
Last updated August 10, 2026