Mad as a hornet
Also, mad as hell or hops or a wet hen . Very angry, enraged as in Mary was mad as a hornet when her purse was stolen , or Upset? Dan was mad as hell , or The teacher was mad as a wet hen . The use of mad for “angry” dates from about 1300, but these similes are of much more recent vintage (1800s, early 1900s). The allusions to a hornet , which can launch a fierce attack, and hell , with its furious fires, are more obvious than the other variants. Mad as hops was first recorded in 1884 and is thought to have been the writer’s version of hopping mad ; mad as a wet hen , first recorded in 1823, is puzzling, since hens don’t really mind water.
Read Also:
- Mad as a wet hen
adjective phrase Very angry; infuriated; pissed off: When he got the letter he was mad as a wet hen (1823+)
- Madcap
[mad-kap] /ˈmædˌkæp/ adjective 1. wildly or heedlessly impulsive; reckless; rash: a madcap scheme. noun 2. a madcap person. /ˈmædˌkæp/ adjective 1. impulsive, reckless, or lively noun 2. an impulsive, reckless, or lively person 1580s, noun and adjective, from mad (adj.) + cap, used here figuratively for “head.” Related: Madcappery. Math and set problems, for the […]
- Mad-cow-disease
1. . noun 1. an informal name for BSE mad cow disease n. See bovine spongiform encephalopathy. mad cow disease (mād) A degenerative neurologic disease of cattle, thought to be caused by infection-causing agents called prions, in which brain tissues deteriorate and take on a spongy appearance, resulting in abnormal behaviors and loss of muscle […]
- MADD
[mad] /mæd/ noun 1. Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Mothers Against Drunk Driving
- Madden
[mad-n] /ˈmæd n/ verb (used with object) 1. to anger or infuriate: The delays maddened her. 2. to make insane. verb (used without object) 3. to become ; act as if ; rage. /ˈmædən/ verb 1. to make or become mad or angry v. “to drive to distraction,” 1822; earlier “to be mad” (1735), from […]