at fever pitch
1
5.6
- idiom
:
en un estado de euforia
- With political debates and messages at fever pitch, I found myself reflecting on one of the most important abilities in both personal and professional life: the ability to influence, to get your good ideas understood and accepted.
Examples
-
I would say that the excitement is at fever pitch, Bill.
-
But you cannot grieve at fever pitch all the time.
Fiction book (1993) -
Working at fever pitch, the searchers began attacking the dense vegetation, eager to discover the secrets which lay beneath.
-
Excitement has been at fever pitch since last night's radio report... from the submarine Seaview... that the admiral had conceived a plan... which hopefully might extinguish the flaming Van Allen Belt.
-
The concert's energy was at fever pitch, with fans eagerly anticipating the band's performance.
-
As the final minutes of the game approached, the crowd's excitement reached fever pitch.
-
The tension among the competitors was at fever pitch as they prepared for the championship match.
Synonyms
21
6.5
Showing very strong excitement and uncontrolled actions
16
4.5
Makes people feel a sudden, strong excitement
9
3.8
Full of strong excitement and hurried activity
7
5.3
Excited and hurried because of strong feelings
6
4.3
Too active and noisy because of strong feelings
3
4.0
Full of strong feeling or interest
1
3.9
Very exciting and full of strong feeling
1
7.0
Filled with a sudden rush of excitement and energy
Very excited and unable to stay calm
Full of lively energy because people feel excited
You are so excited that you cannot breathe normally
Very excited about something that will happen
Antonyms
How Intense
1
5.6
171
2.3
175
2.7
∞
1.0
∞
1.0
735
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase pairs 'fever' in its metaphorical sense of intense excitement with 'pitch' meaning degree or level, so the overall sense (a very high level of excitement) is partially derivable from the parts. However, this requires knowledge of the non-literal senses—especially 'pitch' as 'level/intensity'—that a B1 learner who only knows the common senses may not have, making it only partly transparent.
Etymology
At fever pitch may come from the image of a fever and a thermometer. When the fever climbs to its highest point, the pitch means the top, so the phrase now means being 'very excited' or at a very high level of activity.