fit to be tied
/fɪt tu bi ˈtaɪ̯d/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.34 in modern English
17
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "[…] Mrs. Pepper reprimanded the master in the middle of the Park, before all the quality—Sunday afternoon, and the band playing, and the officers laughing, and he fit to be tied."
- "A thought struck him: he would play off the old lady for her ill-breeding, and he imparted his plan to Filagree. Shortly, they were whisked into a [train] tunnel, and all was darkness. Smack! Smack! from Cromwell, and ditto, ditto, from the Muffin, as they faithfully imitated loud kissing. It was pitch dark, and the old lady was "fit to be tied." "Girls, what are you about?" Smack! Smack! again."
- "Rage, frenzy and grief, fluctuated in my breast with a terrible power. I was as one distraught, as one fit to be tied."
- "Some girls can set around until they're blue moulded, and never a feller to ask 'em, and others the boys'll fret and pleg until they're fit to be tied, with nerves!"
- "[…] I was fit to be tied though I wouldnt give in with that gentleman of fashion staring down at me with his glasses and him the other side of me talking about [Baruch] Spinoza […]"
- "I’m fit to be tied right now. I’d like to throw my cap up into the air and yell Blue Blazes."
Etymology
From fit (“proper, suitable; prepared, ready”, adjective) + to (infinitive-marking particle) + be (auxiliary passive-voice verb) + tied (“attached or fastened by string or the like; bound”, adjective), probably referring to someone being so agitated or angry that they need to be physically restrained to prevent harm to themselves and/or others.
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /fɪt tu bi ˈtaɪ̯d/
- British English: /fɪt tuː biː ˈtaɪ̯d/