student asking question

Is 'go ballistic' related to ballistic missiles?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

Yes, it is related to the origin of the idiom. To 'go ballistic' means to become very angry. Its origin comes from 'losing control and assuming a free-fall trajectory like a ballistic missile fired from a fighter jet' during the Vietnam War, but now the term is often associated with the long-range, typically nuclear-armed missiles. So if someone is 'going ballistic', it means that they might be angry enough to fire a ballistic missile.

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