hitting the ceiling

Losing one's temper

Hitting the ceiling means becoming suddenly and intensely angry, losing one's temper in an explosive way.

The image suggests rage so forceful it propels someone upward.

When Dad saw the credit card bill, he hit the ceiling.

The phrase is synonymous with hitting the roof and going through the roof, all conveying a similar sense of anger bursting upward and outward.

Related

cap · price cap · maximum · indignation · wrath · breaking point · exasperation · at wit's end · go ballistic · blowing a fuse · flying off the handle · saturation point · threshold · apex · roof · frustration · restriction · zenith

Opposites
emotional valence

hitting the ceilingover the moon

Extremely delighted

on cloud nine · jumping for joy · walking on air · tickled pink · in seventh heaven

Family

hitter, hitters, hitting, ceiling, ceilings

Familiarity
Top 100,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Negative · Everyday, not technical · Rated G