Beside yourself with joy

Definitions

• to be extremely happy or excited
  to express overwhelming happiness or excitement

Examples of Beside yourself with joy

• The little girl's face lit up with pure delight when she spotted the ice cream truck coming down the street. She jumped and twirled around, her eyes wide with joy, unable to contain her excitement. Her parents could hardly keep up with her as she skipped beside them, still beside herself with joy.

  When someone is beside themselves with joy, it means they are so happy that they are almost overwhelmed by emotion. The phrase "beside yourself" is an old-fashioned way of saying "completely beside your normal state." In this example, the little girl's joy was so great that she could hardly control herself, and she looked and acted differently than she normally would.

• The football team's victory had left the coach and players ecstatic. They hugged and high-fived each other, cheering and whooping with joy. The coach's voice was almost unrecognizable as he shouted and hollered, still beside himself with joy hours after the game.

  In this example, the phrase "beside yourself with joy" is used to describe the extreme happiness that the coach and players felt after their team won. The phrase "still beside yourself" highlights the fact that their joy was so intense that it continued long after the game was over.

• As the singer took the stage, the audience erupted into thunderous applause. The singer's face lit up with pleasure, and she beamed from ear to ear as she lifted the microphone to her lips. For the next two hours, the singer poured her heart and soul into the music, leaving the audience spellbound and still beside themselves with joy long after the concert ended.

  This example shows how the phrase "beside yourself with joy" can be used to describe the happiness of an audience or a group of people. The singer's performance was so moving that it left the audience overwhelmed with emotion and still filled with joy long after the concert was over.

• The family had gathered around the living room, eagerly anticipating the unwrapping of Christmas gifts. As the adults handed out the packages, the children's faces lit up with pleasure, and they shrieked with joy, still beside themselves with joy long after the gifts had been opened.

  In this final example, the phrase "beside themselves with joy" is used to describe the overwhelming happiness that children experience during the holidays. As they receive their gifts, the children's joy is so great that they are almost overwhelmed, and they act differently than they normally would, exhibiting excitement and energy beyond their normal state.

• Maria couldn't stop smiling as she opened the letter. She was beside herself with joy when she read that she had won the lottery jackpot.

  To be beside oneself with joy means to be overwhelmed with happiness to the point of not being able to control oneself. In this example, Maria's happiness was so great that she couldn't contain her smile and her emotions.

• The news that Sarah was pregnant left her husband, John, beside himself with joy. He ran around the room, hugging Sarah and jumping up and down in excitement.

  This example shows how an idiom can be used as a verb phrase, with the subject, John, being the one experiencing the overwhelming happiness.

• The students were beside themselves with joy as they received their exam results, dancing and cheering in the classroom.

  This example shows how a group of people can collectively experience overwhelming happiness.

• The dog wagged its tail and licked its owner's face, almost beside itself with joy at the sight of its beloved master.

  In this example, the dog's affectionate behavior is so extreme that it could be described as being almost unable to control itself with happiness. The use of "almost" shows how the idiom can be used more figuratively, to describe a strong emotion that goes beyond just happiness.

Conclusion

The idiom "beside yourself with joy" is used to convey extreme happiness or excitement. It is often used to describe a state of overwhelming joy or elation.

Origin of "Beside yourself with joy"

The origin of the idiom "beside yourself with joy" is unclear, but it likely stems from the idea of being so overjoyed that one feels as if they are outside of their normal state of being. The phrase "beside yourself" has been used since the 15th century to mean "out of one's wits" or "in a state of extreme emotion," and it is likely that the addition of "with joy" came about as a way to specifically convey the feeling of ecstatic happiness. Overall, the idiom is a colorful way to express extreme joy and excitement.

Examples of usage can be found in literature and everyday conversation, where individuals might say "I was beside myself with joy when I found out I got the job" to convey their overwhelming happiness.