Evan Morris of The Word Detective says, "Of course, the hare’s behavior probably only appears strange to us–we can only guess how our human courtship rituals might appear to a rabbit. But then we start to move into realms of, well, madness.Īs long as we’re off the subject, the expression "mad as a March hare" refers to the frenzied capers of the male hare during March, its mating season. Speculation ranges from Theophilus Carter, a furniture dealer near Oxford (most likely) to Prime Minister Gladstone (highly implausible).ĭropping the H, "Mad Adder" could imply a mathematician, such as Carroll himself. There have been many guesses about whether Carroll was satirizing any particular individual with his Mad Hatter, or whether Tenniel (the first and most famous illustrator of Alice) was caricaturing anyone. OK, having answered the question, I can’t help but add some trivia. Sounds pretty flimsy to me, but then etymology is not an empirical science. While this is the most widely accepted origin of the phrase, there are those who believe that the phrase was originally "mad as an adder" (meaning poisonous as the snake) which degenerated to hatter. This use of mercury is now subject to severe legal restrictions (if not banned) in the U.S. The hatters were exposed to the mercury fumes, which would have been long dissipated (or of insignificant strength) by the time the hat was worn. ‘Twas the hatters, not the wearers of hats. Advanced cases developed hallucinations and other psychotic symptoms. Victims developed severe and uncontrollable muscular tremors and twitching limbs, called "hatter’s shakes" other symptoms included distorted vision and confused speech. Prolonged exposure to the mercury vapors caused mercury poisoning. The chemicals used in hat-making included mercurious nitrate, used in curing felt.
The origin of the phrase, it’s believed, is that hatters really did go mad.
Carroll frequently used common expressions, songs, nursery rhymes, etc., as the basis for characters in his stories. The phrase had been in common use in 1837, almost 30 years earlier. The phrases "mad as a hatter" and "mad as a March hare" were common at the time Lewis Carroll wrote (1865 was the first publication date of Alice). But Lewis Carroll did not invent the phrase, although he did create the character. The most famous Mad Hatter, of course, is the one from the Mad Tea Party in Alice in Wonderland, the partner of the March Hare. Can you straighten out this disagreement for us? Don Blaheta “In fact,” I said, “that’s the origin of the phrase ‘mad as a hatter,’ since people who made hats were exposed to mercury in the course of their work, and it was thus common for aging hatters to go mad.” Someone else disagreed, saying that it was the people who wore the hats who were the “mad hatters,” because of exposure to mercury residue on the hats. We look forward to hosting you.Dear Straight Dope: What caused the Mad Hatter to go mad? Did he sniff the glue in the hat? Was it mercury poisoning? -Jeff Imparato Dear Straight Dope: In a discussion of the recent Nicor debacle, the effects of mercury came up, namely that overexposure causes insanity. At the The Hatter Café and Country Inn, we invite people from all walks of life to come and get away from it all enjoy the open spaces, treetop views, fresh clean air and experience southern hospitality at its finest. We are committed to outstanding service for all guests. We are close enough for convenience and adventure but removed enough for solitude and relaxation. We are less than 30 minutes from Fort Payne, which has multiple stores, restaurants, pubs, boutiques, fast food, museums, galleries, and other attractions for singles, couples, and families. The exit is less than an hour from Chattanooga, TN, and only a few hours from Birmingham, AL and the metropolitan of Atlanta, GA. Mentone is only 15 minutes off the I-59 interstate. Located on top of scenic Lookout Mountain near Little River and deSoto State Park, you will be surrounded by nature’s beauty yet only 5 minutes from shopping and restaurants in downtown Mentone and The Log Cabin Village. There is also a nearby community walking path and golf course. The Hatter Cafe and Country Inn is nestled in the northeast corner of “Alabama the beautiful” in the delightful town of Mentone.
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