lose the plot
The idiom "lose the plot" is primarily used in British English to describe a state of confusion or irrational behavior.
Definition
B2General
(informal, British)To become confused or disoriented, unable to follow what is happening.
Example
- After the third twist in the story, I completely lost the plot.
- He lost the plot during the meeting and started talking about unrelated issues.
B2Emotional
(informal, British)To act irrationally or behave out of character, often due to stress or emotional upset.
Example
- She lost the plot when she heard the bad news and started yelling at everyone.
- Under pressure, he tends to lose the plot and make impulsive decisions.
B2Focus
(informal, British)To lose focus or understanding of the main objective or point.
Example
- The team lost the plot halfway through the project and missed the deadline.
- Don't lose the plot; remember why we are doing this in the first place.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "lose the plot":
lose itlose one's waylose one's mindlose one's headlose one's shitlose oneselfget lostlose sight oflose one's bottlelose outgo off the boiloff the railsgo to pieceslost in the saucego bonkersdrop the ballgo to potfor the plotgo madcome a croppergo astrayflip one's lidfall off one's perchfall apartgo mentalgo awryloose offfall off