Lose it

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	candy  #153405  Mon, 31 Oct 05 04:01 AM "lose it" - Is this an idiom? e.g. - She lost it and threw a tantrum of her own.   I couldn't find good explanations on online dictionaries...... Is this idiomatic expression(idiom?) commonly used in both BE and AE?   Many thanks in advance.      candy Joined on Mon, Sep 8 2003 Full Member (396)
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	Clive  #153407  Mon, 31 Oct 05 04:13 AM Hi, Is this idiomatic expression(idiom?) commonly used in both BE and AE? It's very common in AmeE. I can't speak for BrE.   "lose it" - Is this an idiom? e.g. - She lost it and threw a tantrum of her own.   The long expression would be 'She lost her temper' or, longer, 'She lost control of her temper'. It's commonly abbreviated to 'She lost it'. It's informal speech, and used by younger more than older speakers, as these things often are.   Best wishes, Clive    Clive Joined on Thu, Oct 28 2004 Canada Veteran Member (20,451) El tango argentino es un pensamiento triste que se puede bailar (The tango argentino is a sad thought which can be danced) Enrique Santos Discépolo
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	candy  #153949  Tue, 01 Nov 05 04:47 PM Hi Clive, Many thanks for answering my question. "Lose it" is very common in AE, and 'it' would mean 'one's temper.' I see, thanks again for your help, Clive! Candy      candy

	davkett  #154012  Tue, 01 Nov 05 09:00 PM Around here , losing one's temper commonly means to get angry.  More broadly, 'losing it' means losing one's composure, a word that is somewhat synonymous with temper but, at least as far as common usage goes, composure is not particularly suggestive of anger.      davkett Joined on Tue, Jun 7 2005 Pennsylvania, USA Senior Member (2,788) "The rose stays fresh in its name..." -Bernard of Morlay

	candy  #154714  Thu, 03 Nov 05 11:58 AM Thanks Davkett   'Lose it' means 'lose composure'.....! Ah, then the expression could mean; - become out of control, lose one's cool, lose one's temper, throw a wobbly...and so on.   (Sounds very convenient )   Thanks again.      candy
Expressions

	davkett  #154731  Thu, 03 Nov 05 12:56 PM Basically, it suggests losing control over one's expressive emotions: joy, grief, fear, anger, etc.       davkett

	goldmund  #154739  Thu, 03 Nov 05 01:33 PM Dear Candy, I have heard British people say «She lost it». They mean «she lost her temper suddenly». Kind regards, Goldmund    goldmund Joined on Fri, Jun 10 2005 Regular Member (581) «Tout homme peut dire véritablement; mais dire ordonnément, prudemment et suffisamment, peu d'hommes le peuvent.» - Michel de Montaigne
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	Vorpar  #154745  Thu, 03 Nov 05 01:46 PM In past tense, it can mean "to go crazy." "why is she talking to that tree?" "I don't know, she's totally lost it."    Vorpar Joined on Tue, Sep 20 2005 Santa Barbara, CA Regular Member (794)
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	davkett  #154807  Thu, 03 Nov 05 04:07 PM Yes, Vorpar, that's very familiar usage; my definition should have included both loss of emotional control and loss of rationality.        davkett