A: Have you decided to buy an apartment in that neighborhood? B: Not really. That neighborhood was recently featured in a popular show, and house prices went through the roof. Note: This idiom means to “increase sharply, reach extreme heights.” This expression originated in the first half of the 1900s. It probably is related to a literal roof of a house. If something actually were to go through the roof of a house, it would have risen very high and fast, and unexpectedly as well. People often use this idiom to describe prices that shoot up quickly, or stocks. Another definition for this idiom is to “become extremely angry.” However, that meaning more commonly appears with the wording “to hit the roof.” |