climb the wall(s), to

To be driven to action out of restlessness or frustra- tion. In the Book of Joel (2:7) the writer says, “They shall climb the wall like men of war,” and, in fact, until relatively recent times cities and towns were surrounded by defensive walls, which protected them against their enemies. The fierceness of attackers who climbed such walls survives in the sense of frenzy suggested by the modern cliché. See also DRIVE (SOMEONE) UP THE WALL.