going postal

"Going postal" is an American slang idiom meaning to become uncontrollably angry, often to the point of violence, particularly within a workplace environment. The term originated in the 1990s following a series of highly publicized mass shootings involving United States Postal Service (USPS) employees. Between 1986 and 1997, over 40 people were killed in roughly 20 incidents of workplace rage at postal facilities, embedding the association between mail carriers and sudden violent outbursts into the cultural lexicon.

From a linguistic standpoint, the term is contested due to the stigma it places on a specific profession. While many speakers use it hyperbolically to describe frustration without intending to reference actual murder, the USPS and labor unions have long argued that the phrase is offensive and discriminatory. Critics point out that despite the high-profile nature of the 1990s tragedies, statistical studies commissioned in the year 2000 showed that postal workers were actually less likely to commit workplace violence than the national average. Consequently, using the term is often viewed as insensitive to victims of mass shootings and unfair to current postal employees, leading many to prefer more generalized idioms for anger.

Example:
"After the software crashed for the third time and deleted his report, Marcus felt like he was going to go postal."

Example:
"The customer service representative remained calm, even though the client on the phone had completely gone postal over the billing error."