Meaning
- experience sudden anger
- express extreme annoyance
- lose your temper or become enraged/infuriated.
- prices increasing sharply
Example Sentences
- Jake's parents are going to hit the roof when they see the damage he's done to their car.
- When Cassy saw her husband in the restaurant with another woman, she hit the roof.
- When the referee disallowed his goal, he hit the roof and was given a red card.
- The share prices hit the roof today after a leaked deal with the oil companies.
- Ellie's parents hit the roof when they saw her report. She was grounded for a month.
Origin
This is informal phrase has been in use since the 19 th century in the present form. It alludes to being so enraged that you could actually bang your head on the roof (or ceiling) of the house because you feel like exploding.
This is shortened/altered version of the original phrase ' up on the roof/top' which was in use from around the 17 th century and was an expression of being infuriated to shouting so loud you could lift the roof off the house.
The phrase has also become a way of expressing the increase of share prices or financial sums taking a sudden upward turn.
