Climbing the walls

Posted by R. Berg on November 21, 2003

In Reply to: Climbing the walls posted by Sax on November 21, 2003

: Hi! My mom said this is when someone is driven crazy. Is she right? Where did it come from? Thank you - Sax

She's right in a way, but the phrase doesn't suggest literal craziness. A person climbing the walls is frustrated and nervous, in the sense of "antsy" or "fidgety." My reference books don't say how old the phrase is or where it originated.