What does it mean to vent your spleen?

: to express angry feelings I listened patiently while she vented her spleen.

How do you vent your spleen?

If you vent your spleen, you express your anger about something. He took up the attack, venting his spleen against the government for a full hour.

Where does the phrase vent your spleen come from?

Origin: The spleen is an organ in the body near the stomach. In European medicine from the Middle Ages until the nineteenth century, the spleen was thought to be the source of the “humours” that caused the emotion of anger. Therefore one could expel anger by “venting the spleen”.

What does the spleen do for the human body?

As you’ve seen, your spleen is often on the “front lines” of your body; in fact, your spleen is a busy organ – especially considering its small size. Your spleen’s main function is to act as a filter for your blood. It recognizes and removes old, malformed, or damaged red blood cells.

What does it mean to vent one’s spleen?

vent one’s spleen. Express one’s anger, as in Some people see town council meetings as a place where they can vent their spleen. This expression uses vent in the sense of “air,” and spleen in the sense of “anger,” alluding to the fact that this organ was once thought to be the seat of ill humor and melancholy.

How did the word spleen come to mean anger?

In the past, people believed that the spleen (= a small organ near the stomach that controls the quality of the blood cells) was responsible for making someone feel sad or bad-tempered. From this, it came to mean a person’s anger. Want to thank TFD for its existence?

What is the meaning of the word spleen?

( literary) express your anger in speech or writing: He vented his spleen on the assembled crowd. In the past, people believed that the spleen (= a small organ near the stomach that controls the quality of the blood cells) was responsible for making someone feel sad or bad-tempered.

What causes your spleen to be bigger than your fist?

Enlarged spleen. Enlarged spleen The spleen is a small organ normally about the size of your fist. A number of conditions, including liver disease and some cancers, can cause your spleen to become enlarged.