Englishhot under the collar
Meaning: Very angry.
Example: “The customer got hot under the collar when we mentioned the fee.”
Equivalents in other languages
French: Avoir la moutarde qui monte au nez Literally: To have the mustard rising to the nose
Origin: American, documented in print as early as an 1869 Chicago Tribune article, describing someone extremely angry or exasperated. The image ties directly to real physiology: anger triggers dilated blood vessels and increased blood flow, producing a genuine rise in skin temperature most noticeable around the face and neck — precisely the area a shirt collar sits against. High, stiff, starched collars were standard formal menswear through much of the 19th and early 20th centuries, and a truly angry man in one would have felt that rising heat trapped uncomfortably close against his neck, giving the idiom a physically accurate basis rather than a purely invented metaphor.
More English idioms
- in full swing At the peak of activity or intensity.
- in one's element In one's most comfortable or favorite environment.
- have someone in stitches To make someone laugh very hard.
- in the bag A sure thing; success is assured.
- in the black Making a profit.
- in the chips Having lots of money.
Explore another collection: Proverbs
Short sayings of timeless wisdom from more than 50 cultures, each with its meaning and origin.
- Quand le vin est tiré, il faut le boire Once you have committed to something, you have to go through with it.
- Un malheur ne vient jamais seul Misfortunes tend to come several at once.
- Mieux vaut prévenir que guérir It is better to stop a problem before it happens than to fix it afterwards.
Keep exploring