in high dudgeon
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in high dudgeon
With resentment; angrily or furiously. Typically refers to someone's reaction to an offense or a slight of some kind. The professor left the room in high dudgeon after the student continued to criticize his theory.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
in high dudgeon
Fig. feeling or exhibiting great resentment; taking great offense at something. (Often with leave.) After the rude remarks, the person who was insulted left in high dudgeon. Dennis strode from the room in high dudgeon, and we knew he would get his revenge eventually.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
in high dudgeon
Furiously, resentfully, as in He stormed out in high dudgeon. This term is the only surviving use of the word dudgeon, whose origin has been lost. [c. 1600]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
in high dudgeon
LITERARYIf someone is in high dudgeon, they are very angry about something. She had left in high dudgeon after learning that the only perk was free coffee. Washington businesses are in high dudgeon over the requirement that small businesses should insure their workers.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
in high dudgeon
in a state of deep resentment.The origin of dudgeon in the sense of ‘ill humour’ is unknown, and it is almost always found in this phrase. However, other adjectives are sometimes used instead of high , for example deep or great .
1938 Zane Grey Raiders of the Spanish Peaks Neale left in high dudgeon to take his case to his court of appeal—his mother.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
in ˌhigh ˈdudgeon
(old-fashioned, written) in an angry or offended mood, and showing other people that you are angry: After being refused entry to the club, he went off in high dudgeon.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
in high dudgeon
Angrily, resentfully, in a huff. The origin of dudgeon has been lost and today the word is never used except with high—never alone and not even with low. In use from about 1600 on, the term was a cliché by the time explorer David Livingstone wrote “He went off in high dudgeon” (The Zambezi and Its Tributaries, 1865). The phrase may be dying out.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer