blow the roof off

Verb

blow the roof off (third-person singular simple present blows the roof off, present participle blowing the roof off, simple past blew the roof off, past participle blown the roof off)

1. To give a great performance that causes the audience to go wild with enthusiasm.
   • I gotta tell you, you blew the roof off. You see that girl over there? She was just raving about your performance.2017, Budd Friedman, Tripp Whetsell, The Improv
   • The lights went down. And we blew the roof off the place.2020, Ronan Brady, Worlds Apart: An Alternative Journey to becoming a Modern Man
2. To completely upset or excite people, generating a huge reaction.
   • "Thou wilt win no more Hollands, I think, on such wager, friend Mike," said the mercer; "for the sulky swain, Tony Foster, rails at thee all to nought, and swears you shall ne'er darken his doors again, for that your oaths are enough to blow the roof off a Christian man's dwelling."1821, Walter Scott, Kenilworth
   • On Harriman: "His main effort is aimed at using civil rights as an explosive issue to blow the roof off convention hall.1956, Ammunition - Volume 14, page 6
3. To react with great excitement; to go wild.
   • Rogerson told co-captains Kevin Armstrong and Ned Elton to "say whatever you want, just make sure they're so fired up tomorrow they blow the roof off the locker room."1987, Bric-a-brac, page 113
   • “Let's get ready for the most dangerous sport in rodeo,” the announcer yelled over the PA system and the crowd almost blew the roof off the arena yellin' and stompin' their feet.2013, Gary Clark, Dance of the Bull Rider
4. To react violently; to throw a fit.
   • Mr. McGeer: You do not need to blow the roof off.1944, Journals of the House of Commons of Canada - Volume 84, page 1168
   • Like any editor, he likes facts put down simply, accurately, with initials, names, and dates, and will blow the roof off if he has to miss a good story because of any omissions.1955, The Journal - Institute of Journalists - Volume 43, page 95
5. To violently disrupt.
   • As Father Jimmy Tompkins, one of Father Coady's associates once pointed out, "...the little people together is a giant. You've got to give them ideas, then they'll blow the roof off.”1990, Canada. Parliament. Senate, Debates of the Senate: Official Report (Hansard), page 3627
   • We decided to blow the roof off the situation in order to bring about a more civilized market.2001, The Current Digest of the Post-Soviet Press, page 7
6. To be extremely loud.
   • The volume of the yelling, screaming noise was certain to blow the roof off the stadium !1982, Harry Kessler, Alma Kessler, Robert A. Suhosky, The Millionaire Referee, page 218
   • Sound cards come with all computers right now, and the one in your computer will probably do the job for you unless you're a hard-core gamer looking to blow the roof off with your sound effects.1998, Lawrence J. Magid, Darcy DiNucci, The Little PC Book, page 43
7. To exceed a record by a very large margin.
   • You two blew the roof off of the correspondence average long before you blew the roof from the galactic averages.2013, Christopher Vickers, Avenging Angels, page 171
8. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see blow, roof, off.