An idiom expressing extreme excitement, delight, or pleasure about something, suggesting that joy has broken the person into small pieces.
This British expression from the early 20th century combines 'thrilled' (originally meaning 'pierced through') with 'bits' (small pieces). The phrase suggests that excitement is so intense it fragments or shatters the person with pleasure, similar to being 'blown away.'
The word 'thrill' originally meant to pierce or bore through, like drilling a hole! So being 'thrilled' was once quite violent - you were literally pierced with emotion. Combined with being broken into 'bits,' this phrase paints excitement as a wonderfully destructive force that happily tears us apart!
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