# flip one's lid

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/flip-ones-lid
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To become explosively angry, to lose one's temper.

## Examples

- My boss will flip his lid if he sees this mistake.
- When he saw the deep scratches on his new car, he completely flipped his lid.
- The manager was known to flip his lid whenever his staff failed to meet the strict production quotas.

## Origin

Originally an Americanism, the phrase is formed from the analogy of a boiling pot explosively displacing its lid due to the accumulation of internal pressure.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.