1
general::
Phrase(s): *out of control
1. Lit. [of something, such as a machine] not responding to direction or instructions. (*Typically: be ~; go ~.) • The computer is out of control and making funny-looking characters all over the screen. • My CD player is out of control and only makes screeching noises. 2. and *out of hand Fig. acting wildly or violently. (*Typically: be ~; get ~.) • Watch out, that dog is out of control. • The kids got out of hand again.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
2
general::
Also, out of hand. No longer under management, direction, or regulation; unmanageable or unruly. For example, Housing costs are out of control, or The children were getting out of hand again. The first term uses control in the sense of "restraint," a usage dating from the late 1500s; the variant uses hand in the sense of "power" or "authority," and dates from the late 1800s.
American Heritage Idioms