let off steam
This page is about the idiom let off steam
Meaning
If you let off steam, you do something to release pent-up emotion or energy.
For example
- After sitting quietly in class all morning, kids need time to let off steam in the playground before going back to class in the afternoon.
- It'd be good to have a punching bag somewhere in the office so we could let off steam whenever we get a bit angry or frustrated.
To "blow off steam" has the same meaning.
Origin: This idiom probably comes from the fact that boiling water produces steam which creates high pressure that will cause an explosion if it isn't released somehow.
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Contributor: Matt Errey