Expressions for Extreme Emotion

In today’s lesson about idioms, I’ll explain 10 expressions that are useful for describing strong emotions. I guarantee you’ll learn something new!

 “My Boss Hit The Ceiling When I Told Him I’d Lost The Documents.”

“I’m Dying To See The New Movie.”
“Going To The World Cup Final Was A Dream Come True.“
“My Heart Sank When I Saw My Test Grade – I Got A 54.”
“We Were On Pins And Needles Waiting To Hear If We Won The Contest.”
“I’m Kicking Myself For Not Booking The Flight Yesterday – The Price Just Went Up $200.”
“I Was Shaking Like A Leaf After I Heard An Explosion On The Train.”
“I’m Pumped About The Concert This Weekend – It’s Gonna Be Awesome!”
“I Was Floored By All The Help We Received After Our Son Was In A Serious Accident.”
“It Drives Me Up The Wall When People Answer Their Cell Phones In English Class.”

The idiomatic expression “hit the ceiling” means to get very angry and upset. Other expressions for sudden anger include “go ballistic” and “blow a fuse.”

“Dying to” + verb means you want to do something very much. It does not mean you are literally going to die.

If something is “a dream come true,” it means it was an experience that you really wanted it to happen – and then it happened.

This expression means that you started to feel sad, disappointed, or discouraged.

If someone is “on pins and needles,” it means they are anxious and in suspense, usually waiting to know some important information.

If you do something you regret (you wish you had acted differently), you can say “I’m kicking myself for… (the action)” After this expression, we use the -ING form of the verb.

We can say someone is shaking like a leaf if they are extremely afraid or nervous.

If you are pumped, it means you are very excited for something (usually something in the future that you are really looking forward to).

To be “floored” means surprised and/or overwhelmed (usually in a good way).

“Drives me up the wall” is an idiomatic expression that means it makes you annoyed. Other expressions for annoying situations include “drives me crazy” or “drives me nuts.”