hit the ceiling

noun

the overhead interior surface of a room.

the top limit imposed by law on the amount of money that can be charged or spent or the quantity of goods that can be produced or sold.

Aeronautics.

the maximum altitude from which the earth can be seen on a particular day, usually equal to the distance between the earth and the base of the lowest cloud bank.

Also called absolute ceiling. the maximum altitude at which a particular aircraft can operate under specified conditions.

Meteorology. the height above ground level of the lowest layer of clouds that cover more than half of the sky.

a lining applied for structural reasons to a framework, especially in the interior surfaces of a ship or boat.

Also called ceiling piece. Theater. the ceiling or top of an interior set, made of cloth, a flat, or two or more flats hinged together.

the act or work of a person who makes or finishes a ceiling.

vaulting, as in a medieval church.

Idioms

hit the ceiling, Informal. to become enraged: When he saw the amount of the bill, he hit the ceiling.

00:10

Hit the ceiling is always a great word to know.

So is bezoar. Does it mean:

a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.

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.

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Origin:
1350–1400, for def 7; Middle English; see ceil, -ing¹

Related forms

ceil·inged, adjective

sub·ceil·ing, noun

un·ceil·inged, adjective

un·der·ceil·ing, noun

Can be confused: ceiling, sealing.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To hit the ceiling

Collins

World English Dictionary

ceiling (ˈsiːlɪŋ)

—n
1.	the inner upper surface of a room
2.	a. an upper limit, such as one set by regulation on prices or wages
	b. (as modifier): ceiling prices
3.	service ceiling See also absolute ceiling the upper altitude to which an aircraft can climb measured under specified conditions
4.	meteorol the highest level in the atmosphere from which the earth's surface is visible at a particular time, usually the base of a cloud layer
5.	a wooden or metal surface fixed to the interior frames of a vessel for rigidity

[C14: of uncertain origin]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

ceiling

c.1348, celynge, "paneling, any interior surface of a building," noun formed (with -ing) from M.E. borrowing of M.Fr. verb celer "to conceal, cover with paneling" from L. celare (see cell); probably influenced by L. cælum "heaven, sky" (see

celestial). Colloquial phrase hit the ceiling "lose one's temper" is 1914.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage

Cultural Dictionary

hit the ceiling definition

To become extremely angry: “When Corey found out someone had stolen his CD player, he really hit the ceiling.”

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary

hit the ceiling definition

and hit the roof

tv.
to get very angry. : She really hit the ceiling when she found out what happened.

Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Easton

Bible Dictionary

Ceiling definition

the covering (1 Kings 7:3,7) of the inside roof and walls of a house with planks of wood (2 Chr. 3:5; Jer. 22:14). Ceilings were sometimes adorned with various ornaments in stucco, gold, silver, gems, and ivory. The ceilings of the temple and of Solomon's palace are described 1 Kings 6:9, 15; 7:3; 2 Chr. 3:5,9.

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

hit the ceiling

Also, hit the roof. Explode in anger, as in Jane hit the ceiling when she saw her grades, or Dad hit the roof when he didn't get his usual bonus. The first expression dates from the early 1900s; the second is a version of a 16th-century locution, up in the house roof or house-top, meaning "enraged."

Matching Quote

"All that is necessary to do with this drink is to place it in an open saucer on the window sill and inhale deeply from across the room. In about eight seconds the top of the inhaler's head rises slowly and in a dignified manner until it reaches the ceiling where it floats, bumping gently up and down. The teeth then drop out and arrange themselves on the floor to spell "Portage High School, 1930" the eyes roll upward and backward, and a strange odor of burning rubber fills the room."

-Robert Benchley

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