fly off the handle

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

fly¹ /flaɪ/   v., flew /flu/  or, for 11., flied, flown/floʊn/,  fly•ing, n., pl. flies. 
v. 

1. to move through the air using wings:
   [no object] Outside the birds were flying.
2. to be carried or move through the air or through space by any force or agency:
   [no object] The jet can fly at the speed of sound.
3. Aeronautics to travel in an aircraft or spacecraft:
   [no object] The family flew to California.
4. Aeronautics to operate an aircraft or spacecraft: [no object]
   The pilot flew to Hawaii.
   [~ + object]
   The pilot flew a variety of aircraft.
5. Aeronautics, Aerospace to operate an aircraft or spacecraft over (an area):
   [~ + object] to fly the Pacific.
6. Aeronautics to transport or convey by air:
   [~ + object] The army flew him to its secret base.
7. to (cause to) float or flutter in the air: [no object]
   The king's banner flew over his tent.
   [~ + object]
   He tried to fly his kite.
8. to pass swiftly:
   [no object] How time flies!
9. to move with often sudden swiftness:
   [no object] cars flying by us; flew into a rage.
10. to flee;
    escape:
    [no object] He was warned to fly from the sheriff's wrath.
11. Sport to bat a fly ball in baseball:
    [no object] The last hitter flied to right field.
12. Informal Terms to be believable or feasible:
    [no object] It seemed like a good idea, but it just wouldn't fly.
13. fly at, [~ + at + object] to attack suddenly:
    flew at him and scratched his face.

n. [countable]

14. Clothing a fold of material that conceals fasteners in a garment opening.
15. a flap forming the door of a tent.
16. Sport fly ball.

Idioms

17. Idioms fly high, [no obj] to be full of happiness or excitement:
    The workers were all flying high until the bad news arrived.
18. Idioms fly in the face or teeth of, [ ~ + obj] to act in defiance of:
    to fly in the face of tradition.
19. Idioms fly off the handle, [no obj][Informal.] to become very angry, esp. without warning.
20. Idioms let fly:
    • to hurl or propel (an object): [no object]
      let fly with several snowballs.
      [let + ~ + object]
      She let fly a few snowballs.
    • [no object] to let one's anger out:
      let fly with an insult.
21. Idioms on the fly, hurriedly:
    We had dinner on the fly.

fly² /flaɪ/   n. [countable] , pl. flies. 

1. Insects a two-winged insect, such as the common housefly.
2. Sport a fishing lure dressed to resemble an insect or small fish.

Idioms

3. Idioms fly in the ointment, something that spoils an otherwise pleasant thing:
   The fly in the ointment is that there is no money to finish the job.

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

han•dle /ˈhændəl/   n., v., -dled, -dling. 
n. [countable]

1. a part of a thing made to be taken or held by the hand:
   I need the rake with the long handle.
2. Slang Terms a person's name.

v. 

3. to touch, pick up, carry, or feel with the hand or hands;
   use the hands on;
   take hold of:
   [~ + object] He handled the painting carefully.
4. to manage, deal with, or be responsible for:
   [~ + object] handled that angry customer with tact.
5. to use or employ, esp. in a particular manner;
   manipulate:
   [~ + object] That artist has learned to handle color expertly in his paintings.
6. to manage, direct, train, or control:
   [~ + object] The general could handle troops effectively.
7. to behave or perform in a particular way when handled, directed, managed, etc:
   [no object] The jet was handling poorly.
8. to trade in:
   [~ + object] That store doesn't handle computer software.

Idioms

9. Idioms get or have a handle on, [~ + object] to obtain or possess an understanding of:
   He couldn't get a handle on their problems.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

fly¹  (flī), v., flew or, for 11, 19, flied, flown, fly•ing, n., pl. flies. 
v.i. 

1. to move through the air using wings.
2. to be carried through the air by the wind or any other force or agency:
   bits of paper flying about.
3. to float or flutter in the air:
   flags flying in the breeze.
4. to travel in an aircraft or spacecraft.
5. to move suddenly and quickly;
   start unexpectedly:
   He flew from the room.
6. to change rapidly and unexpectedly from one state or position to another:
   The door flew open.
7. to flee;
   escape.
8. to travel in space:
   The probe will fly past the planet.
9. to move or pass swiftly:
   How time flies!
10. to move with an aggressive surge:
    A mother fox will fly at anyone approaching her kits.
11. [Baseball.]
    • to bat a fly ball:
      He flied into right field.
    • to fly out.
12. [Informal.] to be acceptable, believable, or feasible:
    It seemed like a good idea, but it just wouldn't fly.

v.t. 

13. to make (something) float or move through the air:
    to fly a kite.
14. to operate (an aircraft, spacecraft, or the like).
15. to hoist aloft, as for display, signaling, etc.:
    to fly a flag.
16. to operate an aircraft or spacecraft over:
    to fly the Pacific.
17. to transport or convey by air:
    We fly merchandise to Boston.
18. to escape from;
    flee:
    to fly someone's wrath.
19. [Theat.]
    • to hang (scenery) above a stage by means of rigging supported by the gridiron.
    • to raise (scenery) from the stage or acting area into the flies.
20. fly blind. See blind (def. 33).
21. fly in the face of, to act in defiance of (authority, custom, etc.). Also, fly in the teeth of. 
22. fly off the handle. See handle (def. 8).
23. fly out, [Baseball, Softball.] to be put out by hitting a fly ball that is caught by a player of the opposing team.
24. go fly a kite, [Slang.]
    • to put up with or get used to matters as they stand.
    • to confine oneself to one's own affairs.
    • to cease being a nuisance:
      If she gets mad enough she'll tell me to go fly a kite.
25. let fly:
    • to hurl or propel (a weapon, missile, etc.).
    • to give free rein to an emotion:
      She let fly with a barrage of angry words.

n. 

26. a strip of material sewn along one edge of a garment opening for concealing buttons, zippers, or other fasteners.
27. a flap forming the door of a tent.
28. Also called tent fly. a piece of canvas extending over the ridgepole of a tent and forming an outer roof.
29. an act of flying;
    a flight.
30. the course of a flying object, as a ball.
31. [Baseball.] See fly ball. 
32. [Brit.] a light, covered, public carriage drawn by one horse;
    hansom;
    hackney coach.
33. [Mach.] a horizontal arm, weighted at each end, that pivots about the screw of a press so that when the screw is lowered the momentum of the fly will increase the force of the press.
34. Also called fan. [Horol.] a regulating device for chime and striking mechanisms, consisting of an arrangement of vanes on a revolving axis.
35. [Print.]
    • (in some presses) the apparatus for removing the printed sheets to the delivery table.
    • Also called flyboy. (formerly) a printer's devil employed to remove printed sheets from a press.
36. (on a flag)
    • the horizontal dimension of a flag as flown from a vertical staff.
    • the end of the flag farther from the staff. Cf. hoist (def. 8).
37. flies. Also called fly loft. [Theat.] the space above the stage used chiefly for storing scenery and equipment.
38. [Naut.] a propellerlike device streamed to rotate and transfer information on speed to a mechanical log.
39. on the fly:
    • during flight;
      before falling to the ground:
      to catch a baseball on the fly.
    • hurriedly;
      without pausing:
      We had dinner on the fly.

• bef. 900; Middle English flīen, Old English flēogan; cognate with Old High German fliogan, German fliegen, Old Norse fljuga

fly′a•ble, adj. 
fly′a•bil′i•ty, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. Fly, flit, flutter, hover, soar refer to moving through the air as on wings.
  Fly is the general term:
  Birds fly. Airplanes fly.
  To flit is to make short rapid flights from place to place:
  A bird flits from tree to tree.
  To flutter is to agitate the wings tremulously, either without flying or in flying only short distances:
  A young bird flutters out of a nest and in again.
  To hover is to linger in the air, or to move over or about something within a narrow area or space:
  hovering clouds; a hummingbird hovering over a blossom.
  To soar is to (start to) fly upward to a great height usually with little advance in any other direction, or else to (continue to) fly at a lofty height without visible movement of the wings:
  Above our heads an eagle was soaring.

fly²  (flī), n., pl. flies. 

1. Insects Also called true fly. any of numerous two-winged insects of the order Diptera, esp. of the family Muscidae, as the common housefly.
2. Insects any of various winged insects, as the mayfly or firefly.
3. [Angling.] a fishhook dressed with hair, feathers, silk, tinsel, etc., so as to resemble an insect or small fish, for use as a lure or bait.
4. Astronomy (cap.) the constellation Musca.
5. Idioms fly in the ointment, a detrimental factor;
   detraction:
   If there's one fly in the ointment, it's that there may not be the money to finish the job.

• bef. 950; Middle English flīe, Old English flēoge, flȳge; cognate with Middle Dutch vliege (Dutch vlieg), Old High German flioga (German Fliege); akin to fly¹

fly′less, adj. 

fly³  (flī), adj. [Brit. Informal.]

1. British Terms clever;
   keen;
   ingenious.
2. British Terms agile;
   nimble.

• perh. special use of fly¹ 1805–15

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

han•dle  (han′dl), n., v., -dled, -dling. 
n. 

1. a part of a thing made specifically to be grasped or held by the hand.
2. that which may be held, seized, grasped, or taken advantage of in effecting a purpose:
   The clue was a handle for solving the mystery.
3. Slang Terms
   • a person's name, esp. the given name.
   • a person's alias, nickname, or code name.
   • a name or term by which something is known, described, or explained.
4. Games the total amount wagered on an event, series of events, or for an entire season or seasons, as at a gambling casino or in horse racing:
   The track handle for the day was over a million dollars.
5. Business the total amount of money taken in by a business concern on one transaction, sale, event, or series of transactions, or during a specific period, esp. by a theater, nightclub, sports arena, resort hotel, or the like.
6. Textiles hand (def. 27).
7. Informal Terms a way of getting ahead or gaining an advantage:
   The manufacturer regards the new appliance as its handle on the Christmas market.
8. Informal Terms, Idioms fly off the handle, to become very agitated or angry, esp. without warning or adequate reason:
   I can't imagine why he flew off the handle like that.
9. Idioms get or have a handle on, to acquire an understanding or knowledge of:
   Can you get a handle on what your new boss expects?

v.t. 

10. to touch, pick up, carry, or feel with the hand or hands;
    use the hands on;
    take hold of.
11. to manage, deal with, or be responsible for:
    My wife handles the household accounts. This computer handles all our billing.
12. to use or employ, esp. in a particular manner;
    manipulate:
    to handle color expertly in painting.
13. to manage, direct, train, or control:
    to handle troops.
14. to deal with (a subject, theme, argument, etc.):
    The poem handled the problem of instinct versus intellect.
15. to deal with or treat in a particular way:
    to handle a person with tact.
16. to deal or trade in:
    to handle dry goods.

v.i. 

17. to behave or perform in a particular way when handled, directed, managed, etc.:
    The troops handled well. The jet was handling poorly.

• bef. 900; (noun, nominal) Middle English handel, Old English hand(e)le, derivative of hand; (verb, verbal) Middle English handelen, Old English handlian (cognate with German handlen, Old Norse hǫndla to seize); derivative of hand

han′dle•a•ble, adj. 
han′dle•a•bil′i•ty, n. 
han′dle•less, adj. 
Synonyms

• 16. sell, vend, carry, market; hawk, peddle.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

handle / ˈhænd^əl/ noun

1. the part of a utensil, drawer, etc, designed to be held in order to move, use, or pick up the object
2. a glass beer mug with a handle
3. a person's name or title
4. a CB radio slang name for call sign
5. an opportunity, reason, or excuse for doing something: his background served as a handle for their mockery
6. the quality, as of textiles, perceived by touching or feeling
7. fly off the handle ⇒ to become suddenly extremely angry

verb (mainly tr)

1. to pick up and hold, move, or touch with the hands
2. to operate or employ using the hands: the boy handled the reins well
3. to have power or control over: my wife handles my investments
4. to manage successfully: a secretary must be able to handle clients
5. to discuss (a theme, subject, etc)
6. to deal with or treat in a specified way: I was handled with great tact
7. to trade or deal in (specified merchandise)
8. (intransitive) to react or respond in a specified way to operation or control: the car handles well on bends

Etymology: Old English; related to Old Saxon handlon (vb), Old High German hantilla towel

ˈhandled adjective