“Blow your top” is an idiom used to describe extreme anger and losing one’s temper. It can refer to present or future events and can lead to physical altercations. It’s important to find constructive ways to deal with anger instead of letting it escalate.
“Blow your top” is a colorful idiom that is used to indicate that an individual is extremely upset and about to or has already lost his temper. The imagery associated with losing one’s temper focuses on seeing the top of someone’s head actually peeling off, due to the buildup of internal pressure caused by anger. Typically, the term is reserved for use when a particular event or subject inspires very deep negative feelings, making it more difficult to remain composed and logical in terms of how the situation is approached.
Unlike other idioms that are only used in the present tense, it’s not unusual for “blow your top” to be used as not just something that’s happening now, but something that could happen in the very near future. For example, someone might try to calm someone who is obviously about to lose his temper by encouraging him to walk away before you “blow your mind.” In this use of the saying, the idea is to prevent what would likely be a very negative event from happening, by soliciting temporary distance from the problem that is causing you so much discomfort. Once the individual experiencing extreme anger has a chance to regain some composure, it may be possible to approach the underlying issue with a more balanced view and work towards a solution that is fair to all concerned.
Other times, “blow your top” refers to something that’s happening right now. When this is the case, the individual who is losing his temper is in the process of expressing great anger, with those expressions including a release of verbal comments that may or may not be logical or even understandable. In some cases, anger release may also include some type of physical activity such as throwing a glass in the fireplace or throwing a chair across the room. If left unchecked, this release of anger can take a more violent turn leading to physical altercations between two or more individuals.
Despite the comical image sometimes associated with blowing a top, the idiom usually refers to a situation that is anything but funny. Excessive anger rarely solves any problems and in fact can only make things worse. For this reason, finding ways not to blow your top but to channel that anger into a more constructive process is often a better way to deal with the situation.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
