IRREDIOMS ~ A look at common idioms
2009-11-25 / Irregular Regulars
Phrases, sayings & expressions, what they mean & where they came from
Come Apart at the Seams
To become so upset that all self-control is gone.
Of course, a person doesn’t actually have seams, but think of a piece of clothing under great strain. Imagine a person trying to squeeze into a suit that was smaller than his or her size. The garment might come apart at the seams and rip open. Similarly, a nervous person under stress, could “come apart at the seams,” or fall apart and break down.
Having failed her driver’s test three times, she came apart at the seams.
(From the “Dictionary of Idioms,” Marvin Terban, Scholastic Inc., publisher, 1996)
