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Fly Off the handle
Fly Off the handle
Fly Off the handle : Phrases
Meaning:
To go into a rage.
Example:
John McEnroe would often fly off the handle at the tennis judges for any close calls.
Origin:
The origin for this expression comes from U.S. frontier settlers. While repairing something, their axe head would sometimes come loose and fly off the handle. This was not only dangerous, but also held up work for others until it was fixed - much to the annoyance of all.