Word Spy - wrap rage

n. Extreme anger caused by product packaging that is difficult to open or manipulate. Also: wrapping rage.

Example Citations:

The crucible of wrap rage is, of course, the CD. It was universally repackaged in 1992, its old cardboard box replaced by plastic wrap with a zip-strip. The answer to our unwrapping prayers! Yet 12 years later, a pull-tab torn off in hand, we are still chewing through plastic like wild dogs.
—"Wrap rage," The Times (London, England), February 4, 2004

There is now an emerging body of evidence that shows the over-50s are struggling to come to terms with the packaging of modern goods.

This phenomenon even has a name: "wrap rage".

Studies in Britain have shown that injuries caused by packaging cost the National Health Service about $25 million a year. These are not industrial accidents. They occur in homes every day, predominantly, but not exclusively, among the elderly.
—Nick Richardson, "The mounting toll of wrap wrath," Herald Sun (Melbourne, Australia), February 27, 2004

Earliest Citation:

Cornhill Direct has identified "wrap rage" as the latest irritant in modern life to drive Britain's more unstable citizens crazy.

Spokesman Allan Truman says every year more than 60,000 people need hospital treatment for injuries caused by grappling with food packaging. "About 2,000 accidents happen while people are trying to separate items of frozen food, usually with a knife."
—James Moore, "Slice of life in the kitchen," The Daily Telegraph (London, England), November 7, 2003

Notes:

This form of fury also goes by the names package rage (1999), packaging rage (1998), and even can't-open-the-package rage (2001).

Category:

Anger and Anxiety

Posted on March 1, 2005