Englishbeside oneself
Meaning: Distraught; very anxious and troubled.
Example: “When her dog went missing, she was beside herself with worry.”
Equivalents in other languages
Spanish: fuera de sí Literally: Outside of oneself
Origin: Rooted in an old idea, older than English itself, that overwhelming emotion could push the mind or soul briefly outside the body — "beside" here carries its older sense of "outside," so being "beside oneself" meant no longer occupying your normal, settled state of mind. The image may ultimately trace to Greek parankia, madness, built from para (beside) and nous (mind), the same root that gives English "paranoia." William Caxton's 1490 English translation of Virgil's Aeneid already has "mad and beside herself," and the King James Bible carries the phrase forward in Acts 26:24, describing Paul's accusers as certain he had lost his mind.
More English idioms
- black and blue Discolored from a bruise; injured in a fight either physically or verbally.
- black out To lose consciousness temporarily.
- toot one's own horn To boast or brag.
- blow one's stack To become suddenly very angry.
- blow hot and cold To have mixed or inconsistent feelings about something.
- feel blue To feel sad or low.
Explore another collection: False Friends
Words that look familiar in another language but mean something else entirely.
Keep exploring