run riot

present singular third person runs riot · participle present running riot · past ran riot

1. idiomaticTo act in an uncontrolled, unbridled manner.

   In their idea, there is scarcely a finer tree than the Kavika; and when in their fairy tales the imagination runs riot, and describes all that is lovely and beautiful, the Kavika is rarely omitted.

   1862, Berthold Seemann, Viti: an account of a government mission to the Vitian or Fijian Islands, in the years 1860-61, Cambridge: Macmillan & Co., →OCLC, page 318

   2 more examples

   No wonder, then, that against a background of surging aggressive prosperity, South Wales built up during the last half of the nineteenth century a local railway system of great density and complexity, in which almost every company competed with every other in its area, and in which working agreements, running powers and strategic junctions ran riot across the railway map.

   1939 September, D. S. Barrie, “The Railways of South Wales”, in Railway Magazine, page 158

   All is well until Treorchy, where the platform is swamped by teenagers who have been attending an event. Around four dozen unescorted 12 to 16 year-olds swarm aboard and begin to run riot through the train. Their behaviour is appalling and the presence of CCTV no deterrent.

   2024 November 13, Paul Bigland, “Much to admire... but pockets of neglect”, in RAIL, number 1022, page 48

2. idiomaticTo be uncontrollable.

   And it was only the defiance of Cech that kept a rampant Spurs at bay in the second half, producing a collection of outstanding saves to somehow keep Arsenal in contention as Pochettino's side threatened to run riot.

   2018 February 10, Phil McNulty, “Tottenham Hotspur 1 - 0 Arsenal”, in BBC