Crazy

Posted by ESC on September 19, 2004

In Reply to: Crazy posted by Bob on September 19, 2004

: : Is it true that *to freak out* can mean to * suddenly lose someone's temper*?

: : thanks

: Not exactly. "Freak out" is a slang term that originally related to losing control of oneself due to drug hallucinations. It started to be applied to all kinds of loss-of-control states: panic, confusion, overreaction, etc. Inasmuch as losing one's temper is one kind of loss of control, it could be included. But if you hear that someone "freaked out," you're more likely to assume hysteria than anger.

There are many moods and shades of the word "freak."

From the archives:
FREAK/FREAKY - There are several entries for "freak" and its variations in a book on teen-age slang. "Freak" is first listed under College Slang Circa 1900 as meaning "someone who is exceptionally proficient in a given area." During The Hippie Counterculture, "freak" or "freek" came to mean a hippie, a devotee of something or, as a verb, to lose control. "Freaky" is listed twice: The Mainstream 1960s (crazy) and The Hippie Counterculture (bizarre, weird). "Flappers to Rappers: American Youth Slang" by Tom Dalzell (Merriam-Webster, Springfield, Mass., 1996).

It's also used in the same manner as "go off" on somebody. "My mom really freaked out when I came home at 2 a.m. with my tongue pierced."