Mad as a March hare
Meaning
Extremely crazy, excitable, or irrational.
Origin
During early spring, particularly in March, hares undergo a dramatic transformation. Their typically timid and solitary nature gives way to bizarre and frenzied behavior as their breeding season commences. Male hares engage in furious boxing matches, leap erratically, and chase females across fields with uncharacteristic abandon, appearing to onlookers as if they've completely lost their minds. This annual spectacle of wild, unpredictable antics cemented the image of the "March hare" as the ultimate symbol of madness, long before Lewis Carroll immortalized it in his Wonderland tales.
Examples
- After three days without sleep, he was as mad as a March hare, laughing hysterically at everything.
- The old inventor, with his wild hair and even wilder theories, was widely considered to be mad as a March hare.