Unofficial poll -what do you think the phrase meltdown means?

[curiousnycgirl]

I've been having a very challenging time of late - details don't matter, however during the course of a conversation I said that I was close to having a meltdown.

 

The person I was speaking with thought I meant something entirely different than my intent. So here I am trying to understand how others define that phrase.

 

I will gladly share more about the actual conversation after I get inputs.

 

TIA! CNYG

[threebyfate]

Sorry to hear you're close to meltdown. Hopefully this is due to something that can be easily adjusted.

 

IMO, meltdown means that the person is experiencing so much emotional stress and/or stress in their lives, that they're going to lose it.

[Ronni_W]

Two 'meanings' came into my head at the same time: Meltdown like a block of ice (puddle on the floor), and meltdown like a nuclear reactor. I think interpretation will depend on the listener's own fears, filters and capacity for empathy/compassion.

 

I do hope things will start looking brighter/less overwhelming, CNYG.

Edited June 23, 2010 by Ronni_W
grammar

[txsilkysmoothe]

Nuclear reactor, you're ready to explode, reached your limit, can't handle any more problems, bs, stress, etc.

[Adunaphel]

Two 'meanings' came into my head at the same time: Meltdown like a block of ice (puddle on the floor), and meltdown like a nuclear reactor.

 

I tend to interpret it in the "melting block of ice" way.

I imagine the person feeling deprived of strenght, like his/her energy is flowing away.

[Feelin Frisky]

It's a co-opted expression taken from the notion that nuclear cores deprived of coolants will get so hot that they will burn through the floor, the ground beneath and through the Earth all the way to Katmandoo (and back). But it's co-opted meaning is kinda two-fold: having a meltdown can mean having an outburst of anger or a loss of emotional stability as in a hysterical cry.