- Home
- Idioms
- roof
roof
snow on the roof
Silver, grey, or white hair on one's head, as due to aging. Sure, there's a bit of snow on the roof, but I still lead as adventurous a life as I ever have!
roof over (one's) head
A home in which to live or rest; basic shelter. Every night, you should be grateful that you have a roof over your head and food on the table.
be like a cat on a hot tin roof
To be anxious and unable to sit still or relax. A: "Why is Carrie pacing?" B: "She's waiting for the doctor to call with her test results, so she's been like a cat on a hot tin roof all day."
*busy as a beaver (building a new dam)
and *busy as a bee; *busy as a one-armed paperhanger; *busy as Grand Central Station; *busy as a cat on a hot tin roof; *busy as a fish peddler in Lent; *busy as a cranberry merchant (at Thanksgiving); *busy as popcorn on a skilletvery busy. (*Also: as ~.) My boss keeps me as busy as a one-armed paperhanger. I don't have time to talk to you. I'm as busy as a beaver. When the tourist season starts, this store is busy as Grand Central Station. Sorry I can't go to lunch with you. I'm as busy as a beaver building a new dam. Prying into other folks' business kept him busy as popcorn on a skillet.
go through the roof
1. Fig. Inf. to become very angry. She saw what had happened and went through the roof. My father went through the roof when he saw what I did to the car.
2. Fig. Inf. [for prices] to become very high. These days, prices for gasoline are going through the roof. The cost of coffee is going through the roof.
hit the ceiling
and hit the roofFig. to get very angry. She really hit the ceiling when she found out what happened. My dad'll hit the roof when he finds out that I wrecked his car.
*keyed up (about something)
and *keyed up (over something)to be excited or anxious. (*Typically: be ~; get ~.) Why are you so keyed up about nothing? She is keyed up over her son's health.
live under the same roof (with someone)
Fig. to share a dwelling with someone. (Implies living in a close relationships, as a husband and wife.) I don't think I can go on living under the same roof with her. She was quite happy to live under the same roof with him.
roof something over
to build a roof over something; to provide something with a roof. After the destructive storm they had to roof the shed over so that the cow would have some shelter. We will roof over the patio and turn the area into a porch.
hit the ceiling
See: hit the roofkeyed up
nervous or excited The interview went well today but now I'm too keyed up to sleep.
a roof over your head
a place to live At least we have a roof over our heads and the children have something to eat.
go through the roof
to increase to a very high level
The price of that new stock went through the roof. Police say the crime rate in our area has gone through the roof. Usage notes: often used to refer to prices or costs
hit the roof
also go through the roof to suddenly become very angry hit the ceiling I'm afraid he'll hit the roof when he finds out our vacation is canceled. Officials went through the roof when a local newspaper published the report.
raise the roof
1. to show great enthusiasm The whole college is ready to raise the roof at next weekend's homecoming celebrations.
2. to complain loudly He didn't care if his boss raised the roof or even threatened to fire him, he knew he was right.
be like a cat on a hot tin roof
to be nervous and unable to keep still What's the matter with her? She's like a cat on a hot tin roof this morning.
hit the ceiling/roof
(informal) to become very angry and start shouting If I'm late again he'll hit the roof.
raise the roof
to make a loud noise by shouting, clapping or singing They finished the set with their current hit and the audience raised the roof.
a roof over your head
somewhere to live We didn't have any money, but at least we had a roof over our heads and food in our stomachs.
go through the roof
if the level of something, especially a price, goes through the roof, it increases very quickly As a result of the war, oil prices have gone through the roof.
the roof caves/falls in
(American) if the roof caves in, something very bad suddenly happens to you For the first six years of my life I was happy. Then my father died and the roof caved in.
See hit the ceiling, raise the roofbusy as a beaver
Also,
busy as a bee. Hardworking, very industrious, as in
With all her activities, Sue is always busy as a bee, or
Bob's busy as a beaver trying to finish painting before it rains. The comparison to beavers dates from the late 1700s, the variant from the late 1300s. Also see
eager beaver;
work like a beaver.
go through the roof
1. Also, hit the ceiling or roof . Lose one's temper, become very angry, as in Marge went through the roof when she heard she'd been fired. [Colloquial; first half of 1900s]
2. Reach new or unexpected heights, as in After the war, food prices went through the roof. [Colloquial; first half of 1900s]
hit the ceiling
Also, hit the roof. Explode in anger, as in Jane hit the ceiling when she saw her grades, or Dad hit the roof when he didn't get his usual bonus. The first expression dates from the early 1900s; the second is a version of a 16th-century locution, up in the house roof or house-top, meaning "enraged."
like a cat on hot bricks
Also, like a cat on a hot tin roof. Restless or skittish, unable to remain still, as in Nervous about the lecture he had to give, David was like a cat on hot bricks. The first expression replaced a still earlier one, like a cat on a hot bake-stone, which appeared in John Ray's Proverbs (1678). The second was popularized as the title of Tennessee Williams's play, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955).
raise the roof
1. Be extremely noisy and boisterous, as in They'd had a lot to drink and were really raising the roof last night.
2. Complain loudly and angrily, as in
When the landlord increased the rent, the tenants raised the roof about his lack of repairs and maintenance . Both usages convey the image of the roof being lifted because it cannot contain either noise or rage. [
Slang; mid-1800s] Also see
hit the ceiling.
roof over one's head, a
A shelter, especially a home, as in I can barely afford to put a roof over my head, my salary is so low.
have snow on the roof
phr. to have white or much gray hair. Come on, judge, you’ve had hair on the roof for years!
hit the ceiling
and hit the roof tv. to get very angry. She really hit the ceiling when she found out what happened.
hit the roof
verbkeyed (up)
1. mod. nervous; anxious. Sally was a little keyed up before the meet.
2. and keyed up to the roof mod. alcohol or drug intoxicated. He was a mite keyed, but still technically sober. Tipsy, hell! I’d say keyed up to the roof!
keyed up to the roof
verb go through the roof
Slang 1. To grow, intensify, or rise to an enormous, often unexpected degree: Operating costs went through the roof last year.
2. To become extremely angry: When I told her about breaking the window, she went through the roof.
raise the roof
Slang 1. To be extremely noisy and boisterous: They raised the roof at the party.
2. To complain loudly and bitterly: Angry tenants finally raised the roof about their noisy neighbors.
cat on a hot tin roof
A Southernism that meant someone who was on edge or nervous. The phrase survives as the title of Tennessee Williams's 1955 Pulitzer Prize–winning drama.