Up the wall

Originally, American slang from c.1950 that means frantic, angry or bored as in to drive someone up the wall. It is also linked to ‘climb the wall’ which dates from a little later and means much the same thing e.g. one climbs walls when one is frantic or agitated. The allusion of course is to a wall being an obstacle or barrier that gets in one’s way and therefore causes frustration or distress.