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Phrase(s): blow a fuse
1. to burn out the fuse on an electrical circuit and lose power. • The microwave oven blew a fuse, so we had no power. • You’ll blow a fuse if you use too many appliances at once. 2. and blow one’s fuse; blow a gasket; blow one’s cork; blow one’s lid; blow one’s top; blow one’s stack Fig. to explode with anger; to lose one’s temper. • Come on, don’t blow a fuse. • Go ahead, blow a gasket! What good will that do?
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
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Also, blow a gasket. Lose one's temper, express furious anger. For example, When his paycheck bounced, John blew a fuse, or Tell Mom what really happened before she blows a gasket. An electric fuse is said to "blow" (melt) when the circuit is overloaded, whereas a gasket, used to seal a piston, "blows" (breaks) when the pressure is too high. The first of these slangy terms dates from the 1930s, the second from the 1940s. Also see BLOW ONE'S TOP; KEEP ONE'S COOL.
American Heritage Idioms