to blow one's top
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To lose one's temper. Blown (1), in the phrase "fly-blown/* is a legacy from pre-scientific days, when natura- lists thought that maggots were actually blown on to the meat by blow-flies.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to blow one's top” mean?
To lose one's temper. Blown (1), in the phrase "fly-blown/* is a legacy from pre-scientific days, when natura- lists thought that maggots were actually blown on to the meat by blow-flies.
Is “to blow one's top” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.