What is the meaning of fly off the handle?

Get very angry and fly into a rage.
- usage: "The professor combusted when the student didn't know the answer to a very elementary question"; "Spam makes me go ballistic"
- synonyms: flip one's lid, blow up, throw a fit, hit the roof, hit the ceiling, have kittens, have a fit, combust, blow one's stack, flip one's wig, lose one's temper, blow a fuse, go ballistic

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APA	WordNet. (2010). fly off the handle. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/fly_off_the_handle/definitions/1276711
Chicago	WordNet. 2010. "fly off the handle" http://smartdefine.org/fly_off_the_handle/definitions/1276711 (accessed September 20, 2026).
Harvard	WordNet 2010, fly off the handle, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/fly_off_the_handle/definitions/1276711>.
MLA	WordNet. "fly off the handle" 23 October 2010. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/fly_off_the_handle/definitions/1276711>

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