Etymology Journal ยท S
Stop running around like a banshee
Meaning
- To stop running wildly or screeching at the top of your lungs. It describes someone who is completely out of control and making a massive racket.
Exasperated, loud
Used in a sentence
- Please stop running around like a banshee before the neighbors complain.
- The kids are running around like a banshee in the hallway, and I am trying to work.
- If you don't stop running around like a banshee, you are going to bed early.
The backstory
The term comes from Irish mythology, where a banshee is a female spirit whose piercing wail heralds death. Americans adapted the terrifying imagery to describe energetic, noisy children.
Heard in
Nationwide
Vibe check