a fit of giggles
laughing
TRANSLATION
fit of giggles = das Gekicher, der Lachanfall (woerterbuch.info) --- GOOGLE INDEX fit of giggles: approximately 50,000 hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
And who could forget that moment in 1993, when supermodel Naomi Campbell collapsed in A FIT OF GIGGLES after tripping up in impossibly high platform shoes designed by Vivian Westwood?
(The Glasgow Daily Record)
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It was show time. I stood at one end, waiting for my cue and I suddenly felt A FIT OF GIGGLES coming on. Someone shouted "action!" and a couple of extras walked towards me as two more walked in the opposite direction.
(The Newcastle Chronicle)
(The Glasgow Daily Record)
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It was show time. I stood at one end, waiting for my cue and I suddenly felt A FIT OF GIGGLES coming on. Someone shouted "action!" and a couple of extras walked towards me as two more walked in the opposite direction.
(The Newcastle Chronicle)
Did you
know?
a fit of giggles (also giggle fit)
noun phrase
- an outburst of laughing that is difficult to get under control
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WORD ORIGIN
As the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary says, the noun "giggle" is a silly or nervous laugh.
The definition of the verb "to giggle" is more descriptive: to laugh repeatedly in a quiet but uncontrolled and childish way, often at something silly or rude or when you are nervous. Among other things, the noun "fit" is "a sudden, uncontrolled period of doing something or feeling something."
Combining the two words into the expression "a fit of giggles" then describes a period of sudden and uncontrolled laughing. This is what occurs when a child makes a noise in a quiet classroom or in church for example. The other children, knowing that laughing is considered bad behaviour in this type of setting, can hardly control themselves. This only makes the laughing attack worse.
The word "fit" can be used by itself to indicate when someone is suddenly very angry, almost to the point of losing control (He had a fit when he heard the project was two weeks late).
Instead of having a fit, you can "throw" a fit. A fit of anger, as it is also called, can be expressed as "fit to be tied" (She was fit to be tied when she saw the damage to her car). This expression implies someone who is so angry they have to be tied down. This probably stems from so-called straightjackets, which are sometimes used to keep mentally ill patients or criminals from injuring themselves or others.
Finally, if someone is very tired, they are "fit to drop." And if they are healthy, they are "fit as a fiddle."
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SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION:
"I remember having a fit of giggles in the middle of my presentation, fortunately the audience had a good sense of humour."
noun phrase
- an outburst of laughing that is difficult to get under control
---
WORD ORIGIN
As the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary says, the noun "giggle" is a silly or nervous laugh.
The definition of the verb "to giggle" is more descriptive: to laugh repeatedly in a quiet but uncontrolled and childish way, often at something silly or rude or when you are nervous. Among other things, the noun "fit" is "a sudden, uncontrolled period of doing something or feeling something."
Combining the two words into the expression "a fit of giggles" then describes a period of sudden and uncontrolled laughing. This is what occurs when a child makes a noise in a quiet classroom or in church for example. The other children, knowing that laughing is considered bad behaviour in this type of setting, can hardly control themselves. This only makes the laughing attack worse.
The word "fit" can be used by itself to indicate when someone is suddenly very angry, almost to the point of losing control (He had a fit when he heard the project was two weeks late).
Instead of having a fit, you can "throw" a fit. A fit of anger, as it is also called, can be expressed as "fit to be tied" (She was fit to be tied when she saw the damage to her car). This expression implies someone who is so angry they have to be tied down. This probably stems from so-called straightjackets, which are sometimes used to keep mentally ill patients or criminals from injuring themselves or others.
Finally, if someone is very tired, they are "fit to drop." And if they are healthy, they are "fit as a fiddle."
---
SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION:
"I remember having a fit of giggles in the middle of my presentation, fortunately the audience had a good sense of humour."
