Emma Cleveland was teaching a class in mathematics at a college. She began to explain to the students how to solve a very difficult problem.
She undersood it very well. But somehow, at that moment, she could not explain it. Emma said, "I must be losing it."
Americans seem to have a lot of concern about "losing it." At least that is what you would think from hearing them talk.
They use the expression when they feel they are losing control.
It can mean losing emotional control. Or losing the ability to do something. Or losing mental powers.
Word experts differ about how the expression started. Some believe it came from television programs popular in the nineteen eighties.
Others believe it began with psychologists and psychiatrists who deal with how people think, feel and act.
One psychologist said, "We Americans have many concerns about controlling our lives. Perhaps we worry too much."
