bật lò-xo
Definition
- Verb (idiomatic, colloquial):
- To fly off the handle / to lose one's temper suddenly and violently: The primary meaning describes a person becoming extremely angry in an explosive, uncontrolled manner, as if a compressed spring has been released.
- To snap / to erupt: To react with sudden, intense emotion, typically anger or frustration.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Nghe tin đó, anh ta bật lò-xo ngay lập tức. (Hearing that news, he flew off the handle immediately.)
- Đừng nói nữa, cô ấy sắp bật lò-xo đấy. (Stop talking; she's about to snap.)
- Ông chủ bật lò-xo khi thấy báo cáo đầy sai sót. (The boss erupted when he saw the error-filled report.)
Advanced Usage
- The phrase is vivid and informal, often used to describe a reaction that is disproportionate or unexpectedly fierce. It implies a loss of self-control.
Variants and Related Words
- Nổi giận (v): to get angry (a more standard term).
- Nổi đóa (v): to flare up, to burst out in anger (similar intensity but slightly less colloquial).
- Phát cáu (v): to become irritated or annoyed.
Synonyms
- To fly into a rage: to suddenly become very angry.
- To blow a fuse: (idiomatic) to lose one's temper.
- To hit the roof: (idiomatic) to become very angry.
Related Idioms
- Mất bình tĩnh: to lose one's composure (a more general, less vivid phrase).
- Nổi cơn thịnh nộ: to fly into a fury (a more formal/literary equivalent).