fly off the handle

idiom

informal

: to lose control of one's emotions : to become very angry

He tends to fly off the handle when people disagree with him.

Examples of fly off the handle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Hannah reminds me of a younger me — not thinking things through, not knowing your worth, flying off the handle, making poor decisions. —Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 29 Apr. 2025

Don’t fly off the handle After years of disruption, air traffic is once again surpassing pre-pandemic levels. —Jade Walker, CNN Money, 15 Apr. 2025

Their iron grip on the series and rigid insistence on total creative control hasn’t always prevented the films from flying off the handle or ballooning into bloated, confusing messes (that bit in Spectre where Bond learns Blofeld is his brother — wasn’t that an Austin Powers plot point?). —Benjamin Svetkey, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019

Honestly, Greer’s right to be worried about her husband flying off the handle or getting caught up in his emotions. —Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2024

The Giants of course need to stay disciplined, especially because Daboll is known to fly off the handle on game days to his own detriment. —Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2024

Your week is all about the attempt to maintain a semblance of normalcy while everyone else is flying off the handle. —Jennifer Culp, Them, 2 Aug. 2024

Harvey, 21, allegedly flew off the handle, throwing two televisions to the floor, shattering them. —Elizabeth Keogh, New York Daily News, 14 May 2024

In Season 2, Tommy’s family, including his older brother JP (Anthony Flemming III) and his nephew D-Mac (Lucien Cambric), keep him from flying off the handle completely. —Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 31 Aug. 2023

Rhymes for fly off the handle

• candle
• sandal
• scandal
• vandal
• panhandle