IdiomThe Absurd
English
EnglishMad as a hatter
Meaning: Completely eccentric or unhinged.
Example: “Our landlord talks to his tomato plants every morning; he's mad as a hatter, but harmless.”
Origin: 18th–19th-century hat-makers cured felt with mercury and suffered poisoning — tremors, slurred speech, erratic moods; the phrase predates Lewis Carroll's Hatter.
Other ways to say this
Spanish: Estar como una cabra Literally: To be like a goat- English: mad as a box of frogs
Danish: At gå agurk Literally: To go cucumber
Afrikaans: Hy is van sy trollie af Literally: He's off his trolley- English: go bananas
- English: off one's trolley
More English idioms
- To steal someone's thunder To take credit for another's idea or upstage their big moment.
- To turn a blind eye To deliberately ignore something you know is wrong.
- Hair of the dog A morning drink taken to cure a hangover.
- To bite the bullet To face something painful with gritted courage.
- To go cold turkey To quit a habit abruptly and completely.
- To cut the mustard To meet the required standard; to succeed.
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