Idiom
have a cow
Meaning
To get angry; have a fit.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“Don't have a cow — it's just a small scratch.”
“My mother had a cow when she saw the mess in the kitchen.”
“The manager had a cow when the shipment arrived three weeks late, shouting at suppliers until his face turned red.”
Examples
simple
“Don't have a cow — it's just a small scratch.”
contextual
“My mother had a cow when she saw the mess in the kitchen.”
complex
“The manager had a cow when the shipment arrived three weeks late, shouting at suppliers until his face turned red.”
Origin
The origin remains unknown, though the expression was popularized during the late 20th century by the television programme The Simpsons. It served as a recurring catchphrase for the character Bart Simpson.
Key words
Related idioms
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