Idiom

Posted by Bookworm on January 28, 2004

In Reply to: Idiom posted by ESC on January 27, 2004

: : Hi, guys, who can help me? I'd like to know the meaning of the idiom: drives anyone doing the cleaning to distraction.
: : Thanks, HCD

: The idiom would be "drives to distraction." Here's my opinion: someone who is driven to distraction is so annoyed or angry about someone or something that he can't think straight or focus.

: People who leave spilled popcorn boxes and drinks in the theater drive the people doing the cleaning to distraction.

This phrase can be used to convey the intensity of other emotions as well, not just annoyance. Dickens' David Copperfield loved Dora Spenlow "to distraction".