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blow a fuse

 [fyooz]   Origin

fuse

2   [fyooz] noun, verb, fused, fus·ing.
noun
1.
Electricity. a protective device, used in an electric circuit, containing a conductor that melts under heat produced by an excess current, thereby opening the circuit. Compare circuit breaker.
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verb (used with object)
2.
to combine or blend by melting together; melt.
3.
to unite or blend into a whole, as if by melting together: The author skillfully fuses these fragments into a cohesive whole.

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Blow a fuse is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
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verb (used without object)
4.
to become liquid under the action of heat; melt: At a relatively low temperature the metal will fuse.
5.
to become united or blended: The two groups fused to create one strong union.
6.
Chiefly British. to overload an electric circuit so as to burn out a fuse.
Idiom
7.
blow a fuse, Informal. to lose one's temper; become enraged: If I'm late again, they'll blow a fuse.
Origin:
1675–85; < Latin fūsus melted, poured, cast, past participle of fundere

Synonyms
2. See melt.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

fuse
also fuze, 1640s, from It. fuso "spindle" (so called because the originals were long, thin tubes filled with gunpowder), from L. fusus "spindle," of uncertain origin. Influenced by Fr. fusée "spindleful of hemp fiber," and obsolete English fusee "musket fired by a fuse." Meaning of "device that
EXPAND
breaks an electrical circuit" first recorded 1884, so named for its shape, but erroneously attributed to fuse (v.) because it melts.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
fuse   (fyz)  Pronunciation Key 


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Noun  

  1. A safety device that protects an electric circuit from becoming overloaded. Fuses contain a length of thin wire (usually of a metal alloy) that melts and breaks the circuit if too much current flows through it. They were traditionally used to protect electronic equipment and prevent fires, but have largely been replaced by circuit breakers.

  2. A cord of readily combustible material that is lighted at one end to carry a flame along its length to detonate an explosive at the other end.


Verb  

  1. To melt something, such as metal or glass, by heating.

  2. To blend two or more substances by melting.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary

blow a fuse definition


and blow (one's) fuse; blow a gasket; blow (one's) cork; blow (one's) lid; blow (one's) top; blow (one's) stack
  1. tv.
    to explode with anger; to lose one's temper. : Go ahead, blow a gasket! What good will that do? , Crunk! I so blew my top!
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

blow a fuse

Also, blow a gasket. Lose one's temper, express furious anger. For example, When his paycheck bounced, John blew a fuse, or Tell Mom what really happened before she blows a gasket. An electric fuse is said to "blow" (melt) when the circuit is overloaded, whereas a gasket, used to seal a piston, "blows" (breaks) when the pressure is too high. The first of these slangy terms dates from the 1930s, the second from the 1940s. Also see blow one's top; keep one's cool.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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