Phrase Origins: Mad as a Hatter

I, like most people, was probably introduced to the phrase “as mad as a hatter” after either reading, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland or seeing the Disney movie, Alice in Wonderland. The character of the mad hatter is in both. However, the phrase “as mad as a hatter,” does not appear in either work.

It is interesting to note that Carroll does not call his character of the Hatter the Mad Hatter. Instead, the Cheshire Cat (who was previous mentioned in the Phrase Origins article, “Grinning Like a Cheshire Cat”) says that the hatter is mad when telling Alice that he lives in one direction and the March Hare lives in the other, calling them both mad. Carroll only says that the Hatter is involved in a “mad tea party.”

When I first tried to learn the origin of the phrase “as mad as a hatter,” I was told it was the glue used in hat making that mad hatters go crazy. This may be partly true, but what really made the hatters go mad was the mercury used in hat making. Hatters often suffered from mercury poisoning. The mercury poisoning could cause them to be aggressive. It could also cause mood swings and anti-social behavior. In fact, today, mercury poisoning is still called Mat Hatter’s Disease.

However, there are no citations linking the phrase “as mad as a hatter” to 19^th century hat making.

The first written citation of the phrase “as mad as a hatter” seems to be from 1829. It appears in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine in a section called Noctes Ambrocianæ. No. XL1V.

It is from a work of fiction in which a group of characters is talking. The dialogue is “NORTH: Many years – I was Sultan of Bello for a long period, until dethroned by an act of the grossest injustice ; but I intend to expose the traitorous conspirators to the indignation of an outraged world. / TICKLER (aside to SHEPHERD.): He’s raving. / SHEPHERD (to TICKLER.): Dementit. / ODOHERTY (to both.): Mad as a hatter. Hand me a segar.”

The phrase appears later in more works of fiction. There is no certainty to the origin of this phrase. Another theory is that the phrase was “as mad as an adder” which would correspond to the phrase “as mad as a cut snake.”

However, there doesn’t seem to be any citation of the phrase “as mad as an adder.”

Then, another theory is that it comes from New Zealand. Miners that worked alone were called Hatters. They would often go mad from being solitary. However, it is unlikely that this is the source since this occurred at least 50 years after the first citation of the phrase “as mad as a hatter.”

While there is no certainty to the origin of this phrase, it seems that the most likely explanation is the mercury poisoning that many hatter’s had because of what was needed for the profession.

If you are wondering about Carroll’s character, it is only speculation, but he may have been party based off of the mad inventor, Theophilus Carter. Both Cater and Carroll lived in Oxford. Carroll would have been used to seeing Carter, in his top hat, inventing things. Carter was known for his eccentric behavior, and one of his inventions was the alarm clock bed, which woke the person sleeping by turning over and dumping him on the floor. Thus, Carter was known as a mad inventor.

Sources:

Martin, G. (n.d.). As mad as a hatter. The meanings and origins of sayings and phrases | List of sayings | English sayings | Idiom definitions | Idiom examples | Idiom origins | List of idioms | Idiom dictionary | Meaning of idioms. Retrieved July 23, 2010, from http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/mad-as-a-hatter.html

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