to throw a wobbly

9.9

To become suddenly very angry and upset in a dramatic way

idiom

: hacer un escándalo

He tends to throw a wobbly over small mistakes at work.

Examples

Whenever he doesn't get his way, he throws a wobbly and makes a scene.
It's like, it's like someone just threw a wobbly look at it.
She threw a wobbly when she learned that her plans had changed.

Synonyms

to lose it

vsto throw a wobbly

Informal

289 7.5

Suddenly stop controlling your feelings and become very angry or upset

is more dramatic and visibly uncontrolled than ordinary anger

to explode

vsto throw a wobbly

187 3.5

To suddenly show a strong feeling, often anger

is dramatic but often less physically violent than explosive reactions

to flip out

vsto throw a wobbly

Informal

49 7.2

To suddenly lose control and become very angry or upset

is sudden and dramatic but often emphasizes anger rather than excitement

to go berserk

vsto throw a wobbly

Informal

27 7.7

To become very angry and act out of control

is dramatic upset but usually less violent and less physical

to go ballistic

vsto throw a wobbly

Informal

22 7.5

Suddenly become very angry

is dramatic and uncontrolled but less necessarily violent or frenzied

to throw a tantrum

vsto throw a wobbly

Informal

18 4.4

To show sudden strong anger or upset, often like a child

is a sudden uncontrolled emotional outburst rather than only a show

to blow up

vsto throw a wobbly

Informal

16 4.7

To suddenly become very angry and lose control

is dramatic uncontrolled anger rather than slow irritation

to have a fit

vsto throw a wobbly

Informal

16 5.3

To suddenly become very angry or upset and show it strongly

is sudden and uncontrolled, not a quiet mild feeling

to throw a fit

vsto throw a wobbly

Informal

12 6.1

To suddenly become very angry or upset in a loud, obvious way

is an abrupt uncontrolled upset rather than calm reaction

to fly off the handle

vsto throw a wobbly

Informal

11 6.8

To suddenly become very angry

is sudden and dramatic but may include more uncontrolled behaviour

to fly off

vsto throw a wobbly

Informal

7 5.3

To suddenly get very angry without warning

is dramatic and uncontrolled rather than a calm response

to boil over

vsto throw a wobbly

Informal

7 4.8

To suddenly lose control and show strong anger

is sudden and dramatic rather than a slow steady rising anger

to hit the roof

vsto throw a wobbly

Informal

4 6.7

To suddenly become very angry

is sudden dramatic upset rather than mild annoyance

to combust

vsto throw a wobbly

4 8.2

To become suddenly very angry and lose control

is sudden dramatic uncontrolled anger but not a literal eruption

to hit the ceiling

vsto throw a wobbly

Informal

3 6.8

To suddenly get very angry

is dramatic and uncontrolled but not always extreme fury

to lose one's temper

vsto throw a wobbly

2 3.7

To suddenly become very angry and not be able to control yourself

is dramatic and uncontrolled rather than a calm change

to blow one's stack

vsto throw a wobbly

Informal

2 8.6

Suddenly get very angry and show it

describes sudden uncontrolled anger without implying physical action

to get your panties in a wad

vsto throw a wobbly

Informal

2 9.9

To become very upset about a small problem

is dramatic uncontrolled anger regardless of whether the cause is minor

to blow a fuse

vsto throw a wobbly

Informal

1 7.4

To suddenly become very angry

is a dramatic uncontrolled upset that can last longer than a brief spark

to pop off

vsto throw a wobbly

Informal

1 8.1

To suddenly say something angry without warning

is sudden and uncontrolled but usually describes strong emotional display

to flip your lid

vsto throw a wobbly

Informal

1 8.6

To suddenly become very angry and lose control

is dramatic and uncontrolled but less crude than some slang

to flip shit

vsto throw a wobbly

Offensive

1 9.9

To suddenly become very angry

is dramatic uncontrolled anger but lacks the vulgar bluntness

to go off on one

vsto throw a wobbly

1 9.9

To suddenly get very angry and speak loudly for a long time

is sudden and dramatic but focuses on short uncontrolled outbursts

to throw one's toys out of the pram

vsto throw a wobbly

1 9.9

To behave in a childish sulky way after not getting what you want

is a sudden dramatic upset but also emphasizes childish sulking

to blow one's top

vsto throw a wobbly

Informal

8.0

To suddenly become very angry

is dramatic and uncontrolled but not necessarily violent

to burst a blood vessel

vsto throw a wobbly

Informal

6.9

To become very angry or upset in a way people notice

is sudden and uncontrolled but not usually literal physical harm

to lose one's shit

vsto throw a wobbly

Offensive

9.9

To suddenly become very angry or upset in a way you cannot control

is dramatic and uncontrolled but usually expressed in neutral language

to flip one's lid

vsto throw a wobbly

Informal

9.1

To become suddenly very angry and lose control

is similar in sudden drama but may avoid harsh vulgarity

to flip one's wig

vsto throw a wobbly

Informal

9.9

To suddenly become very angry and lose control of yourself

is dramatic and uncontrolled but often less old fashioned in tone

to flip the bitch switch

vsto throw a wobbly

Offensive

9.9

To suddenly become very angry and behave in a mean way

is dramatic loss of control but usually less explicitly aggressive

to throw wobblies

vsto throw a wobbly

Slang

9.9

To have a sudden angry outburst like a child's tantrum

is dramatic uncontrolled anger but not necessarily childish or playful

to throw a dummy spit

vsto throw a wobbly

9.9

Have a childish angry outburst when you do not get your way

is dramatic uncontrolled anger rather than a mature controlled response

to throw a snit

vsto throw a wobbly

Informal

8.7

To suddenly become very angry or upset and act childishly

is dramatic uncontrolled anger but not always childish or exaggerated

to radge

vsto throw a wobbly

9.9

To become very angry or upset

is sudden dramatic anger but may be used informally regionally

to radge over

vsto throw a wobbly

9.9

Get very angry or upset about small things

is sudden dramatic anger not restricted to minor causes

Antonyms

reasonable

302 2.2

A moderate amount or size that is not extreme

to keep a cool head

3 3.9

Stay calm and not get angry or excited in a difficult situation

How Angry

to throw a wobbly

9.9

to fly off the handle

Informal

11 6.8

to throw a fit

Informal

12 6.1

to anger

114 1.0

irritated

44 3.1

Surface Forms

throw a wobbly infinitive

Morphology

throw + a + wobbly

The components 'throw' (to cause) and 'wobbly' (unsteady) give a loose, partly interpretable image — causing instability — but the use of 'wobbly' as a noun meaning an emotional fit and the specific sense 'have a dramatic angry/upset outburst' is colloquial and dialect-specific (British) and not fully predictable from the parts. A B1 learner who knows the words might infer some kind of disturbance but would not reliably derive the exact idiomatic meaning without prior exposure.

Etymology

The idiom throw a wobbly may come from the picture of someone suddenly starting to wobble and lose control. The verb throw is like in 'throw a fit' and wobbly means 'shaky', so the phrase came to mean 'to suddenly become very angry or upset'.