go berserk

go berserk idiom
Erupt in furious rage, become crazily violent. For example, When they announced the gymnast's score, her coach went berserk. This expression is believed to allude to the name of Norse warriors renowned for their ferocity in battle and for wearing no armor but a bearskin shirt (or berserkar). [Late 1800s] Also see go ape.

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.

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