phrases, sayings, idioms and expressions at

Highly strung

Posted by RRC on March 21, 2007

In Reply to: Highly strung Posted by Ett on March 21, 2007

: Hi, I am trying to find the origins of the saying 'highly strung' as in: "He/She is highly strung" meaning "he/she is a bit tense'.

: Why highly strung though - where did it come from?
The strings on musical instruments that play the high notes must be very taut (tightly wound, under a lot of stress, high tension) and they are the most likely to snap.


© 1997 – 2024 Phrases.org.uk. All rights reserved.