Steamed Up

Click here to listen to the explanation

If someone is steamed up, then he or she is mad, angry, upset, and so on. The idiom comes from the process of boiling water or applying heat—a common result is steam, which is vaporized water. It is a very casual and near-slang expression.

Example #1: I told her not to get so steamed up over nothing—we could send her steak back to be cooked some more.

Example #2: I don't understand why I always become so steamed up over the referee's calls in football games, but I do it every time.

Example #3: My husband has a tendency to get steamed up really fast, and then he calms down as if nothing happened.

Example #4: John was visibly steamed up after his private meeting with the boss—I don't think it was a good meeting.