in fits—
1. (also: in fits of nerves) shocked or very angry:
- I was in fits because I didn’t know if Shawn had been trying to contact us or not.
2. (also: in fits of laughter) laughing uncontrollably:
- As he walked in dressed like a headache tablet, everyone was in fits.
in fits and starts —(also: by fits and starts) at irregular intervals:
- There is no way of coping with orders that come in fits and starts throughout the year.