Hissy fit
Posted by ESC on January 17, 2009 at 18:55
In Reply to: Hissy fit posted by R. Berg on January 17, 2009 at 17:51:
: : : "Hissy fit". Walter Scott in Redgauntlet refers to a character as suffering from a "hissing-hot fit" of the gout. Could this be a predecessor of the modern "hissy fit"?
: : Here is what Phrase Finder says: www.phrases.org.uk meanings hissy-fit.html I always thought it came from a mad goose hissing. It could be hissing of water on a hot stove.
: Cats and kittens hiss as a warning signal in a dispute over territory. Other animals hiss, too. I once saw an opossum hiss. ~rb
I can testify that a red-earred slider turtle hisses.
- Hissy fit Smokey Stover 17/January/09