English Explanatory Dictionary

go postal

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To become aggressive and erratic, especially due to stress; specifically, to carry out a shooting spree at a workplace environment; also (more generally) to become very angry; to lose one's temper.

Pronunciation

/ˌɡəʊ ˈpəʊstl̩/ /ˌɡoʊ ˈpoʊstəl/ En-us-go postal.oga

Word forms

go postal goes postal going postal went postal gone postal

Etymology

From go (“to become”) + postal (“relating to the collection, sorting and delivery of mail”), from a number of incidents, mostly gun violence, perpetrated by disgruntled U.S. Postal Service workers on co-workers in the United States in the mid 1980s.

Synonyms

run amok crash out Note: All terms are idiomatic unless stated otherwise. blow a fuse blow a gasket blow one's stack blow one's top cut up nasty cut up rough do one's block do one's nut flip one's lid flip one's wig flip out fly into a rage fly off the handle forget oneself get bent out of shape get one's back up get one's dander up get one's Irish up get one's shirt out go ape go apeshit go ballistic go bananas go bitchcakes go HAM go H.A.M. go off go postal go spare have a cow have a fit have kittens hit the roof hit the ceiling lose it lose one's cool lose one's marbles lose one's mind lose one's rag lose one's temper lower the boom pitch a fit pop one's cork see red shit a brick steam teen throw a fit throw one's toys out of the pram vent one's gall wax wode
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