in a lather

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in a lather

Very nervous, distressed, or upset. Sam is in a lather because she doesn't think her job interview went well. I told Mom that we'll get there on time, but she's still in a lather about us leaving behind schedule. Janine has been in a lather about her driving test today. I hope she passes and gets her license.

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*in a lather

Fig. flustered; excited and agitated. (*Typically: be ~; get [into] ~.) Now, calm down. Don't be in a lather. I always get in a lather when I'm late. I get into a lather easily.

See also: lather

in a lather

Also, in a state. Agitated and anxious, as in Don't get yourself in a lather over this, or She was in a state over the flight cancellation. The first term alludes to the frothy sweat of a horse, the second to an upset state of mind. [Early 1800s] For a synonym, see in a stew.

See also: lather

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 a lather

INFORMAL

If someone is in a lather, they are very angry, worried or upset about something. `Brenda!' she shouted, in a great lather. `It's happened again!' Note: You can also say that someone gets into a lather or works themselves up into a lather. What's she getting into a lather about now? You have spent the past six months worrying and working yourself up into a lather over situations which are really none of your business. Note: When horses get very hot, the sweat on their coats sometimes forms a foamy substance called lather.

See also: lather

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

in a ˈlather

(British English, informal) in a nervous, angry or excited state: What’s going on? Chris has just come rushing into my office all in a lather, saying something about a lost report.

See also: lather

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References in classic literature ?

Why he had to go he did not know; but after his after-dinner nap he gave orders to saddle Mars, an extremely vicious gray stallion that had not been ridden for a long time, and when he returned with the horse all in a lather, he informed Lavrushka

View in context

Jessica Simpson, who claimed to be a virgin on her wedding night, got herself in a lather cleaning the General Lee in the video for the film Dukes of Hazzard, in which she stars as Daisy.

The Razz: Video girls not so demure now

It took its time to get in a lather, but coped well with dried-on egg and beans.