to get all het up
1
9.5
- phrasal verb
- UK
:
alterarse
- I always get all het up when people argue over trivial matters.
Examples
-
Only you get all het-up.
-
Now, listen, tiger, don't get all het up.
-
There's no need to get all het up about a small mistake in the presentation.
-
Don't get all het up over missing the bus; another one will come soon.
Synonyms
49
7.2
To suddenly lose control and become very angry or upset
22
3.0
Complain loudly about something small
11
9.2
React with strong fear or excitement and lose control
4
9.9
To become too upset about a small problem
3
7.7
Feel nervous and tense in stressful situations
2
9.9
To become very upset about a small problem
2
9.1
To become upset or worried about small things
1
9.6
To become too angry or upset about small things
To become upset over a small problem
To become very upset about something small
To become very upset or worried about a small problem
To become confused and upset over small things
Antonyms
How Upset
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense 'to become very upset or agitated' can be largely reconstructed from get (become) + het (heated/agitated) + up (into a heightened state), with all functioning as an intensifier, so a learner who knows the constituents could plausibly infer the meaning. However, 'het' is a rare/colloquial term and the whole phrase is regionally British and idiomatic in use, so the mapping is not fully predictable without prior exposure.
Etymology
Get all het up comes from an old local word het meaning 'hot', so to get het up is to feel heated in the face and mind. That's why it now means 'to become very upset or agitated', often about something small.