आग बबूला होना

/ɑːɡ bəbulaː hoːnaː/◆idiom

to fly into a rage

उसकी थोड़ी सी आलोचना सुनकर ही वह आग बबूला हो गया।

He flew into a rage after hearing even a little criticism.

◆ What It Really Means

to suddenly become extremely angry, often losing control of one's temper

¶ Literal Meaning

to become fire bubbling

Literal Breakdown

आगfire+बबूलाboiling, bubbling+होनाto become

◇ Mental Image

A mental picture of fire boiling over, uncontrollably spreading and causing destruction, symbolizing uncontrollable anger.

◈ When to Use

Imagine someone calmly working when they suddenly hear a piece of bad news or criticism. Their face turns red, their voice rises, and they start shouting or acting aggressively — this is 'आग बबूला होना'.

◉ Cultural Note

This idiom reflects the Hindi cultural emphasis on emotional restraint and the metaphorical use of fire to describe intense emotions. Anger is often described in terms of fire in many Indian languages.

informal

to become extremely angry suddenly, often losing control of one's temper

जब उसने देखा कि उसका पर्स चोरी हो गया है, वह आग बबूला हो गई।

When she saw her purse had been stolen, she flew into a rage.

उसके बॉस ने जब उसकी गलती बताई तो वह आग बबूला हो उठा।

When his boss pointed out his mistake, he flew into a rage.

Often used to describe sudden, intense anger, especially in response to a perceived insult or injustice.

Collocations

आग बबूला हो जानाto fly into a rage suddenlyआग बबूला कर देनाto make someone fly into a rage

Synonyms

गुस्से से भर जाना क्रोधित होना आग लगना

Antonyms

शांत होना ठंडा होना धैर्य रखना

Related Phrases

आग में घी डालनाidiom

to add fuel to the fire (to worsen a situation)

आग लगानाidiom

to set on fire (literal) or to provoke anger

Pro Tip

Usage in Context

Use 'आग बबूला होना' when someone's anger escalates rapidly due to a triggering event, often losing their composure. It is stronger than just 'गुस्सा आना' (to get angry).

Gold Rule

Idiomatic vs. Literal

This is an idiom. Do not interpret it literally as 'to become fire bubbling' — it means to become extremely angry.

Word Origin

This idiom combines 'आग' (fire) and 'बबूला' (boiling, bubbling), metaphorically depicting anger as a fiery outburst.

Usage Notes

Common in conversational Hindi. Often used in informal contexts to emphasize sudden and intense anger. The phrase can be used with both animate and inanimate subjects metaphorically.

Word Breakdown

आग

fire

noun

बबूला

boiling, bubbling (from 'बुलबुलाना', to bubble up)

adjective

होना

to become

verb

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