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Drive someone up the wall

Drive someone up the wall

Meaning

Irritate or annoy very much.

Examples

He wouldn’t stop going on about it. He was driving me up the wall.

Where did it originate?

Britain, 1950s. An extension of ‘up the wall’ meaning angry.

Where is it used?

Britain.

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About the Author

Gary Martin is a writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.

Gary Martin

Writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.
Drive someone up the wall

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