Please do not fly off the handle over such a small mistake.
fly off the handle
idiomTo become very angry or enraged; to throw a fit or go crazy.
Origin
disputed originFrom the image of an axe head becoming loose and suddenly flying free of its handle, a vivid metaphor for losing control. The phrase is an early 19th-century American idiom, with printed examples first appearing c. the 1810s–1830s.
My boss tends to fly off the handle whenever a project deadline is missed by even a few hours.
Despite his usual composure, the senator began to fly off the handle when the reporter questioned the integrity of his campaign finances.
- 01
crank the handle
To perform a process; to do some work.
- 02
fly blind
To do by guesswork; to feel one's way.
- 03
fly by
To pass or go past quickly, often without much interaction
- 04
fly by the seat of one's pants
To pilot an aircraft without the aid of instruments and without a flight plan, using only instinct, visual observation, and practical judgment.
- 05
fly in the face of
To act in a manner highly contrary to; to counteract or contradict.
- 06
fly in the ointment
Something (especially a minor thing) which ruins or spoils everything else, or makes it less pleasant; a nuisance or problem; a disagreeable or unpleasant detail.
- 07
fly low
To have one's fly (zipper) undone.
- 08
fly off
To flee rapidly; to run away.