Used as and English idiom since the 1930’s with origins in Shakespeare and Old English.
Meaning of ‘In Stitches’ Idiom
To be in stitches means to laugh uncontrollably; to be extremely amused.
Sentence Examples
“The comedian was terrible but the heckler had us in stitches.
“She seems very serious but after a few drinks she’ll have you in stitches.”
“That movie had us in stitches. It was the funniest movie I’ve seen in years.”
“Johnny was in rare form at the party. We were in stitches all night.”
“Did you see that prank at the office? I was in stitches! I love it when Phil gets a dose of his own medicine.”
Origin
The word stitch referring to a sudden sharp pain was used in Old English and today it is used exclusively to mean a sharp pain in the side (i.e. stitch in the side) caused by a muscle spasm and generally brought on by exertion. Shakespeare seems to have been the first to use a form of the idiom in Twelfth Knight from 1601:
“If you desire the spleen, and will laugh yourselves into stitches, follow me.”
He was referring to laughing so hard you got a stitch from the exertion, which is what the idiom alluded to originally. The modern version wasn’t used until around 1930.
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