lid

To quash or suppress something; to control something so as to keep it from flourishing, increasing, or succeeding. We need to keep the lid on rumors about the company going bankrupt. We decided to keep the lid on the project as we didn't have enough funds to see it through to the end.

Sl. to expose something to public view. The police inspector blew the lid off the work of the gang of thugs. The investigation blew the lid off the scandal.

Sl. to suddenly become angry, crazy, or enthusiastic. Whenever anyone mentions taxes, Mr. Jones absolutely flips his wig. Stop whistling. You're going to make me flip my lid.

to make public something that was previously not known or was hidden He blew the lid off modern photography by publishing gritty, realistic pictures at a time when most photos showed a clean, happy world.

to maintain control over something His forces kept a lid on unrest for nearly eight years.

to stop something from increasing The mayor wants to put a lid on spending. Diplomats hope to put a lid on rising tensions between the two countries.

to become very angry and shout or behave in a violent way Jim'll blow a fuse if he finds you here. When her husband realised how much she'd spent he blew a gasket.

to control the level of something in order to stop it increasing Economic difficulties continued and the government intervened to keep a lid on inflation.

to cause something bad that was previously kept secret to be known by the public In 1989 they started an investigation that was to blow the lid off corruption in the police force.

something that you say in order to tell someone to stop talking Put a lid on it, you two! You've been shouting all afternoon.

if something that happens puts the lid on a plan, it causes the plan to fail When James resigned that put the lid on the whole project.

Also, blow a gasket. Lose one's temper, express furious anger. For example, When his paycheck bounced, John blew a fuse, or Tell Mom what really happened before she blows a gasket. An electric fuse is said to "blow" (melt) when the circuit is overloaded, whereas a gasket, used to seal a piston, "blows" (breaks) when the pressure is too high. The first of these slangy terms dates from the 1930s, the second from the 1940s. Also see blow one's top; keep one's cool.

Also, blow wide open. Expose, especially a scandal or illegal activity. For example, The newspaper's investigation blew the lid off the governor's awarding state contracts to his friends . [First half of 1900s]

Also, flip one's wig; flip out. React very strongly or wildly, as with anger, surprise, or excitement; also, go crazy. For example, I'm going to flip my lid if he doesn't show up, or She really flipped out when she realized that she had won first prize, or I think Rob has flipped his wig. These slangy expressions, with their allusion to losing the top of one's head, date from the 1930s and 1940s.

Also, keep the lid on. Suppress, as in I don't know how but we'll have to put the lid on that rumor about her, or Let's keep the lid on our suspicions. The word lid here is used in the sense of "a cover for a container." [Early 1900s]

To explode with anger.

Lose your temper. Back in the days before circuit breakers, a house's electrical system was regulated by a fuse box. Individual fuses connected to separate lines throughout the house were inserted into the box. When a circuit became overloaded, a thin metal strip in the fuse melted, breaking the circuit to prevent an overload and a possible fire. You'd then replace the fuse after disconnecting whatever appliance might have caused the overload. Someone who because very angry was said to blow a fuse, which doesn't make sense because a fuse was meant to defuse, so to speak, the situation. But no one ever said that idioms must be rational. Similar expressions that make more sense are “blow your stack,” which came from the era of steam engines that would explode if the steam wasn't allowed to explode, and “have a meltdown,” as in a nuclear reactor gone wild.