I thought it would be appropriate to give a bit of history on Dagwood Bumstead, since this expression is the second in succession from that comic strip. Wikipedia says Dagwood was the “…heir to the Bumstead Locomotive fortune, but was disowned when he married a flapper (originally known as Blondie Boopadoop)…” Dagwood went to work for the J.C. Dithers & Company as the office manager.

In the recent Sunday comic Dagwood inquires, “Has Dithers pitched a fit about anything lately?” The Urban Dictionary says the expression, “pitch a fit” describes “…an emotional outburst using verbal and animated expression normally seen in the Southern United States.” In baseball the pitcher throws the ball, which is apparently the source of the variation to “throw a fit.” There is an expanded definition of “fit”, which can be caused by both physical ailments or emotional reactions given in the explanation “fits and starts” posted previously.