Round these parts he'd be said to have: had a paddy, had a fit, blew a fuse (or his lid (or his top)), grumped out, lost it...
Whether male or female most people flip out, have tantrums/manic episodes or whatever you want to call it at one time or another. Thus, it really does not make sense to me that this type of behavior would be defined in a gender specific way.
Got out the trusty Roget's Thesaurus, looked up 'tantrum' which led to Resentment/Anger, which led to other nouns: wrath, rage, fury, towering passion, outburst, explosion, storm, temper, rampage, and others that aren't quite so heated, but lean more towards irritability or resentment. Interestingly, 'hysteria' or 'hysterics' is not listed anywhere in the near two-full-page entry under Resentment/Anger. It's a word that seems more suited to describing a state of uncontrolled excitement rather than anger, which a tantrum usually depicts.
I would use the right words to convey [picture] a situation. If the man is mooing like a compression to the brain injury, eyes bulbous, insane and glazed - I might say just that rather than 'well, he was rather hysterical,' which I would probably say the next morning after the intensity has all blown over - nobody gives a toss any more...
I'm with @matwolf - I find the idea of a grown man having an actual tantrum terrifying. When a kid has a tantrum they loose all self-control, strike out, are willing/eager to hurt themselves or others... a grown man doing that? Yikes. If that's truly the behaviour you're trying to describe, I'd expect the words to be really violent. I'm not sure there's one word or phrase that would really describe it? "Exploded", maybe? Or maybe something borrowed from warfare/military? "Went ballistic" - but I think that has a lighter connotation than what I'm picturing. "Berserker rage"? "Blind rage?" "Awful, destructive, mindless violence"?
Yeah, I'm not looking for anything violent. This particular instance I'm trying to describe is more like flipped-out harmless pay-back. Lol. Not bad! That may work! Thanks @BayView
I'd probably say he threw a fit. Something to suggest the childishness of the reaction, if it isn't all that violent. I know it's a controversial term because of its historical significance, but I rather like the phrase: "Go postal," for total freakouts. I agree about hysteria not being ideal when describing a mantrum. It makes me picture a wandering uterus. As humerous as that is to imagine in a bawling man, it doesn't quite set the scene for me.
Thanks @KaTrian . I think I shoulda stuck with describing female tantrums. I may have misunderstood my own scene. Never mind. But, thanks anyway.
Well usually when you say a 'temper-tantrum' it's someone getting upset because of something insignificant. Usually a tantrum (in my opinion) is something a child does. So is this adult-male character acting childish or upset over something small or petty? I think it would depend on the situation the character upset over. Is it something serious? Then no, tantrum is not the right word. Or are they just not getting their way? Then yes, tantrum would work. You could use 'Outburst' or maybe 'getting in a huff' even going simpler and saying he was 'angered and acted out'.
How about- "that situation (insert cause for tantrum here) really boils my lobster. " Sorry, just a little lunch time fun here.
