The British-, Irish- New-Zealand- and Australian-English phrase to throw a wobbly, also to throw a wobbler, means:
– to lose one’s self-control in a fit of nerves, temper, panic, etc.;
– to act in an unexpected or capricious way, causing surprise or consternation.
The noun wobbly, also wobbler, denotes a fit of temper or panic.
The phrase to throw a wobbler occurs, for example, in an interview of Chris Ryan (Colin Armstrong – born 1961), a former Special Air Service sergeant, author of Strike Back, which had just been adapted into a television series for Sky 1—interview by Olly Grant, published in The Daily Telegraph (London, England) of Wednesday 28th April 2010 (John Porter is a SAS sergeant in Strike Back; B2Z refers to the 1991 Bravo Two Zero mission, which went disastrously awry in Iraq):
There are parallels between Porter’s post-mission meltdown and what Ryan went through in the wake of B2Z. Though Ryan remained in the regiment after Iraq, he succumbed to post-traumatic stress. Like Porter, that manifested itself in sudden bouts of rage. “I would get terribly angry,” he says. “To the point where somebody would only have to look at me the wrong way and I’d throw a wobbler.”
The earliest occurrences that I have found of the phrase to throw a wobbly, also to throw a wobbler, are as follows, in chronological order:
1-: From The Watersiders (Wellington [N.Z.]: A. H. & A. W. Reed, 1964), by the British-born New-Zealand author Michael Davis (born 1931):
They were laying down long planks at odd angles from the square as though about to participate in some peculiar rite. “What’s the matter, mate? You look queer. Ain’t going to throw a wobbly, are you?”
2-: From the Daily Mirror (London, England) of Friday 17th June 1966:
THE ARMY IN DANGER OF THROWING A WOBBLER
From Donald Wise
Mount Template, Sabah, Thursday
It is the considered opinion of 23924417 Corporal Michael Flaherty of the Green Jackets that the British Army in Borneo is about to “throw a wobbler.”
And not another soldier here will dispute him. For in Green Jackets slang he means “go bonkers”—in this case, from sheer boredom.
[…]
[…] Corporal Mike’s problem—and that of every rank above and below him—is how to dodge that “wobbler.”
[…]
He and the other troops think they might just be saved from a “wobbler” by being moved to Sarawak, the other Borneo State in Malaysia.
3-: From All creatures great and small, by Stanley Reynolds (1934-2016), a U.S. journalist, author and critic who spent most of his life in Britain, published in The Guardian (Manchester, Lancashire, England) of Wednesday 28th December 1966:
“This is a mouse.”
[…]
“Well,” she said, “I’ll get the poison out and make a dash for it.”
“Quiet, woman,” I said, “not in front of him, he’ll throw a wobbler and start marching around here with those RSPCA Animal Defender badges on like the time he saw me throwing rocks at the pigeons.”
4-: From the following advertisement, published in The Press (Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand) of Saturday 14th September 1968:
Why didn’t you tell Daddy it’s a Trans Tours Australian Holiday you booked us on?
Can’t you just imagine Daddy’s shock . . . the whole family booked for a holiday across the Tasman . . . on his income. But then, how was he to know his smart little wife had found out about “TRANS” AIRCONOMY AND ESCORTED COACH TOUR HOLIDAYS . . . they make the very most of every moment in Australia . . . give the greatest possible value for restricted overseas allowances.
Of course, Daddy’s reaction is hardly surprising . . . TRANS have only recently extended their renowned holiday network across the Tasman, after being in the tourist business here for years . . . if he’d realised this, it would have saved a lot of fuss. As it was, he “threw a wobbly” as his mind raced with thoughts of air bookings, hotel accommodation, eating arrangements, sightseeing tours, travel allowances, and the hundred and one other worrying things an overseas trip normally means.
What a joy for Daddy, when he comes around, to hear how TRANS TOURS take care of everything for him.
5-: From FOOTBALL CRAZY FOOTBALL MAD . . . the 110,000 in two square miles of Liverpool, by Don Smith, published in the Liverpool Daily Post (Liverpool, Lancashire, England) of Saturday 6th March 1971:
“Jim the Cartilage” has been somewhat unfortunate in his pursuit of his idols. He was once, despite his fifteen stone frame, crushed against a steel barrier at Anfield so badly that he broke three ribs. He must be one of the Kop’s greatest addicts. “You are going senile when you like the stands.”
He is father of three girls and three boys. One of them should have been called Andrew. At least Mrs Eileen Lloyd, Jim’s missus, asked her husband to register the baby in that name. “She almost threw a wobbler when she read in the Echo that his name was William St John Lloyd. I thought it would be nice to name him after Billy Liddell and Ian St John,” says Jim.
6-: From an advertisement for the Central Station Garage, at Staines, published in the Middlesex Chronicle (London, England) of Friday 28th May 1971:
Last week our Ted threw a giant “wobbler” he just couldn’t cope with the masses of customers, but despite that it’s still £25 DEPOSIT and up to 10 years to pay on our H.O.U.S.L. scheme.
7-: From an interview of Marilyn Ward, who had just been elected Miss United Kingdom, by Ray Connolly, published in the Evening Standard (London, England) of Thursday 26th August 1971:
“It makes me so cross that these women’s lib people should try to tell me and other girls like me what to do and what not to do. If they did it passively I wouldn’t mind, but all this rubbish about throwing flour bombs is so childish. I get so cross. I’ll throw a wobbler in a minute.”
8-: From William Marshall’s television column, published in the Daily Mirror (London, England) of Saturday 29th December 1973—in the following is from the review of General Hospital, broadcast on ITV, wobble seems to be a misprint of either wobbler or wobbly:
The blood looks like strawberry jam. And the atmosphere is as akin to the urgency and bustle of a real hospital as David Bowie is to “Come Dancing.”
The crux of yesterday’s action was the transplant of a kidney whipped piping hot from a crash victim.
Sir George, an eminent surgeon, threw a wobble just before he was due to operate. The kidney was cooling down, so another doctor had to stand in. Shock, horror, gasp, oh dear!
Standard close-ups of sweating brows. A nurse keels over as the kidney is slid on to a tray like something for your dinner.
The strawberry jam begins to fly.
And, to top it off, we had the regulation smart-Alec black doctor sorting out whitey’s problems.
9-: From an article about the Prospect Theatre Company, Britain’s leading theatrical touring company, by Suzanne Lowry, published in The Guardian (Manchester, Lancashire, England) of Friday 28th February 1975—Keith directs the crew, and Noddy is the carpenter:
And the actors. This is a tough company, by general standards: but they’ll turn up tomorrow at 2 30 for the three o’clock call with nowhere to stay and whingeing about the new stage. “Nothing will be right. They’ll be throwing wobblers all over the place,” predicts Noddy. “Rushing off to the dressing room saying I can’t do it like this. They are allowed temperament: they get coaxed back and soothed. If Keith or I threw a wobbler we’d soon be out looking for new jobs.”
10-: From the review of Network (1976), a U.S. film directed by Sidney Lumet (1924-2011)—review by Dougal MacDonald, published in The Canberra Times (Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia) of Saturday 12th March 1977:
The story begins with Howard Beale, a nationally-broadcast news commentator, throwing a wobbly on camera and getting fired.
11-: From the column Motoring, by J. C. Bowman, published in The Scotsman (Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland) of Friday 10th June 1977:
‘Slanguage’ on circuit
If an ace throws a wobbly, will the top banana accuse him of a brain fade? It could only happen in the world of motor racing, for as the latest G. Whizzard fact book The Facts about a Grand Prix Team by Barrie Gill explains, motor racing has a language—or slanguage—of its own.
An “ace,” as is fairly well known, is a very quick driver. When he “throws a wobbly” he is having a disagreement with his team manager, who may be known as the “top banana,” “chief honcho,” “major domo” or simply “the old man.” “Brain fade,” an expressive adaptation of “brake fade,” means driver error.
12-: From the review of A Matter of Time (1976), a U.S.-Italian film directed by Vincente Minnelli (1903-1986), starring Liza Minnelli (born 1946)—review by Dougal MacDonald, published in The Canberra Times (Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia) of Wednesday 13th July 1977:
Lisa plays a country mouse come up to Rome where she takes a job as a chambermaid in a hotel that has seen better days. There she meets the ageing Duchess of Sanziana, a good-time girl in her day, still capable of it, who takes the child in hand and teaches her how to manipulate men to her advantage.
The schooling process having reached the stage where Italy’s biggest movie mogul sees the kid and recognises the star quality, the old lady conveniently throws a wobbly, falls under a taxi and dies just before the youngster gets to the hospital.
13-: From the television programmes for Sunday 8th April 1979, published in the Runcorn Weekly News (Runcorn, Cheshire, England) of Thursday 5th April 1979:
“If…” (BBC2, 11 p.m.) Ace film showing what happens when a repressive boarding school suddenly throws a wobbler, starring Malcolm McDowell and David Wood. Being British, it jumps from colour to black and white—there wasn’t enough money to shoot it all in colour.
14-: From the caption to the following photograph, illustrating the review of Psychic Killer (1975), a U.S. film directed by Ray Danton (born Raymond Caplan – 1931-1992)—review published in the Runcorn Weekly News (Runcorn, Cheshire, England) of Thursday 31st May 1979:
The psychic killer throws a wobbler—one of many grotesque scenes in the film of the same name
15-: From the review of The World Is Full of Married Men (1979), a British film directed by Robert William Young (born 1933)—review published in the Runcorn Weekly News (Runcorn, Cheshire, England) of Thursday 21st June 1979:
He [i.e., David] sees Linda and Gemini happy together—they don’t need him.
What about him? Doesn’t anyone care about him? Sorry David, no.
[…]
David throws a wobbler, unhinges completely, and the film dissolves into a wallow of self-pity and revenge.
16-: From William Marshall’s television column, published in the Daily Mirror (London, England) of Monday 10th September 1979:
Roll up for a roll up
One of the most boring games in the world, played by some of the most boring people is how someone once described flat green bowling.
All the way from the beautiful Beach House Park in Worthing, we have JACK HIGH (BBC-2, 10.40) featuring Willie Murray, that grand little wizard of the flat green.
Commentator David Vine almost throws a wobbly in an effort to choke the emotion in his normally unflappable voice.
Incredible stuff—miss it at your peril.
A variant of the phrase to throw a wobbly (also to chuck a wobbler) is to chuck a wobbly (also to chuck a wobbler). This variant is chiefly used in Australian English.
The earliest occurrences of to chuck a wobbly (also to chuck a wobbler) that I have found are as follows:
1-: From the Western Tiers (Deloraine, Tasmania, Australia) of Wednesday 20th August 1986:
WITH A THUMBNAIL DIPPED IN TAR
by the Stringybark Cockatoo
Stone the crows and stiffen the lizards!
D’ya know wot I woz tol’ last week, well, gawd blimey, it sure did upset me, well it were that some ol’ geezer chucked a wobbly an’ complained ’bout the ‘Farmers Fighting Fund’ bein’ wrote up on a banks winda in town cos she reckoned it were political.
2-: From the television programmes for Friday 27th March 1987, published in the Evening Post (Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England) of Saturday 21st March 1987—Cheers is a U.S. sitcom:
Cheers
Four, 10.00
Thank goodness, it’s Thanksgiving for the Cheers staff. Unfortunately, they all end up at Carla’s, with Norm cooking the turkey’s goose, everyone else throwing a bunfight, and Diane chucking a classic wobbler.
3-: From the column 5th Column, by Peter Luck, published in The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia) of Monday 3rd August 1987—the following is about the Austrian-born Swiss actor Maximilian Schell (1930-2014), who played the eponymous character in the 1986 U.S. television series Peter the Great:
Maximilian Schell really does have an impressive list of credits […].
From what I read in the American trade papers, however, he did give the producers a hard time and the behind-the-scenes machinations of Peter the Great really did live up to its nickname Tsar Wars.
You’ve got to take a lot of this TV mag stuff with a grain of salt but it’s reported that Maximilian chucked a wobbly and left the series altogether.
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