bent out of shape
19
8.4
- idiom
- Informal
:
molesto
- No need to get bent out of shape.
- get bent out of shape
- so bent out of shape
- really bent out of shape
They get bent out of shape when they realize that they're not special.
- They get bent out of shape when they realize that they're not special.
- And I remember I was really bent out of shape about some personal flaw or weakness.
- So what are you so bent out of shape about?
- OK? Like, for example, when the Chinese government gets bent out of shape on what Jack Ma said,
- And if things don't go our ways, we get all bent out of shape.
- The fact that so many of you do not create content because you're so bent out of shape by the feedback in the comments section.
- And so often people think that you're supposed to know the right answer to stuff and get so bent out of shape if they don't or they fail.
- And I think to your point, too, it's like, I think people get bent out of shape on, you know, one particular sin versus the other.
- So if those people are bent out of shape and they don't want to join, whatever, then it's not going to hurt my feelings, right?
Examples
-
So there's no need to get all bent out of shape about it.
-
She seemed a little bit bent out of shape.
-
It's weird how sometimes people get so bent out of shape and they get so focused on one thing and it has to happen.
-
Why are you so bent out of shape about it?
-
You get all worked up, bent out of shape.
-
You look all bent out of shape.
-
Travis, seriously, life is too short to get bent out of shape over someone else telling a story.
Blog text (12) -
Don't get all bent out of shape over this.
-
I don't know why people are still getting all bent out of shape about it.
Blog text (1) -
Why are you so bent out of shape about such a small mistake?
Synonyms
9
2.5
Being in a state of disorder or confusion
1
9.2
Feeling annoyed because someone ignored you or treated you badly
1
9.8
Very angry or upset
Antonyms
How Upset
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal words describe physical distortion ('bent' + 'out of' + 'shape'), so there is a clear metaphorical link to being emotionally 'distorted' or disturbed that a learner could plausibly infer. However, the conventionalized shift from physical deformation to the specific meaning 'very upset or angry' is not fully predictable and relies on idiomatic usage, so it is not completely transparent to an average B1 learner without prior exposure.
Etymology
Bent out of shape comes from a simple picture: when something like metal or a picture frame is pushed so it becomes bent and no longer its usual shape. So, this image explains why the phrase means 'very upset' or 'angry'.