ballistic

Definition

Technically refers to projectiles moving under their own momentum, gravity, and air resistance after launch—the physics of things that go up and must come down. Colloquially means going absolutely berserk with rage, as in "going ballistic." The dual meaning captures both missiles and tempers reaching peak trajectory before inevitable explosive impact.

Example Usage

When the project deadline was moved up by three weeks, the entire engineering team went ballistic.

Source: Military and colloquial terminology

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