Extremely angry and agitated, so furious that one appears to be jumping up and down with rage. The phrase emphasizes the physical manifestation of intense anger.
This colorful expression emerged in 19th-century America, drawing from the observation that extremely angry people often pace, jump, or move erratically when enraged. The 'hopping' refers to the restless, agitated physical movements that accompany intense fury.
The phrase beautifully captures how anger affects our entire body, not just our emotions - when we're truly furious, we often can't sit still and need to move or pace. It's also wonderfully visual, creating an almost cartoonish image that somehow makes the anger seem both intense and slightly absurd, which might be why it's often used with a touch of humor.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.