mad enough to chew nails

9.9

Very angry and ready to do something extreme

idiom

Archaic

: furioso como para morder clavos

She was mad enough to chew nails when she found out he lied.

Examples

When I saw the mess they left, I was mad enough to chew nails.
He was mad enough to chew nails after losing the game in the final seconds.
After the unfair accusation, she looked mad enough to chew nails.
After losing the match, Jake was mad enough to chew nails!
After the unfair accusation, she looked mad enough to chew nails.
He was mad enough to chew nails after losing the game in the final seconds.
When I saw the mess they left, I was mad enough to chew nails.

Synonyms

furious

vsmad enough to chew nails

238 3.0

Very angry and ready to shout or complain

is about seeming likely to do something extreme because of anger

pissed off

vsmad enough to chew nails

Informal

197 8.6

Very angry or annoyed

is about seeming likely to do something extreme because of anger

mad

vsmad enough to chew nails

138 1.3

Very excited and unable to stay calm

is about seeming likely to do something extreme because of anger

outraged

vsmad enough to chew nails

27 4.1

Feeling very angry and shocked because something seems unfair

is about seeming likely to do something extreme because of anger

irate

vsmad enough to chew nails

23 5.3

Very angry and showing it

is about seeming likely to do something extreme because of anger

ticked off

vsmad enough to chew nails

Informal

5 7.9

Feeling angry or annoyed about something

is about seeming likely to do something extreme because of anger

hot under the collar

vsmad enough to chew nails

Informal

5 7.1

Very angry or annoyed because someone criticizes you

is about seeming likely to do something extreme because of anger

rageful

vsmad enough to chew nails

1 4.8

Feeling very angry and likely to shout or lose control

is about seeming likely to do something extreme because of anger

infuriated

vsmad enough to chew nails

1 4.5

Feeling very angry because someone treated you unfairly

is about seeming likely to do something extreme because of anger

pissed

vsmad enough to chew nails

Informal

1 8.4

Feeling very angry or annoyed

is about seeming likely to do something extreme because of anger

mad as a meat axe

vsmad enough to chew nails

Archaic

1 9.9

Very angry and acting without thinking

is about seeming likely to do something extreme because of anger

mad as a wet hen

vsmad enough to chew nails

Informal

1 9.8

Very angry or upset

is about seeming likely to do something extreme because of anger

boiling mad

vsmad enough to chew nails

Informal

1 4.8

Feeling very angry

is about seeming likely to do something extreme because of anger

enraged

vsmad enough to chew nails

4.1

Very angry and likely to act violently

is about seeming likely to do something extreme because of anger

rip-snorting mad

vsmad enough to chew nails

Informal

9.5

Being very angry and hard to calm

is about seeming likely to do something extreme because of anger

maddened

vsmad enough to chew nails

5.2

Very angry and acting out of control

is about seeming likely to do something extreme because of anger

mad as a cut snake

vsmad enough to chew nails

Australian

9.9

Feeling extremely angry and acting wildly

is about seeming likely to do something extreme because of anger

mad as a mongoose

vsmad enough to chew nails

Informal

9.9

Very angry and unable to stay calm

is about seeming likely to do something extreme because of anger

mad as hops

vsmad enough to chew nails

Archaic

9.9

Feeling very angry and showing it

is about seeming likely to do something extreme because of anger

wild as a wet hen

vsmad enough to chew nails

Informal

9.4

Feeling very angry and upset

is about seeming likely to do something extreme because of anger

angry as a wet hen

vsmad enough to chew nails

9.9

Feeling very angry and upset

is about seeming likely to do something extreme because of anger

in a radge

vsmad enough to chew nails

Slang

9.9

Feeling very angry and annoyed

is about seeming likely to do something extreme because of anger

angered

vsmad enough to chew nails

2.5

Feeling very furious because someone did something unfair or rude

is about seeming likely to do something extreme because of anger

Antonyms

calmness

9 2.7

A state without strong feelings or worry in your mind

unperturbed

2 7.0

Calm and not worried when things go wrong

How Angry

mad enough to chew nails

Archaic

9.9

furious

238 3.0

angry

∞ 1.0

annoyed

77 1.0

Surface Forms

mad enough to chew nails positive

Morphology

mad + enough + to + chew + nail

The phrase is largely compositional: a B1 learner who knows 'mad', 'enough', 'to', 'chew' and 'nails' can form the image of being so angry that one would 'chew nails', which signals extreme upset or agitation. However, the expression is a hyperbolic, culture-dependent image (and 'nail' has competing senses—metal pin vs. fingernail), so the exact pragmatic force is not fully predictable without exposure.

Etymology

Mad enough to chew nails paints a sharp picture: someone so mad they would chew their own nails, a wild and painful action. So, the phrase means 'extremely angry or upset'.