mad as a hatter

[sachamp2002]

mad as a hatter

[MikeMikeMike]

Hat makers used to use mercury (or 'quicksilver') as a means of shaping their hats. They would take a mould and lay the material over it, and then pour the very heavy liquid metal in to form the shape. Mercury is poisonous and sends you insane if you come into contact with it a lot. Hence mad as a hatter.

[RHCP rule]

yeah my sister told me thatrandom fact :D good question lol

[Quizmonster]

And of course, the Mad Hatter and his famous tea-party in Lewis Carroll's 'Alice in Wonderland' helped the phrase to catch on with a wider public.

[Canib]

Actually, the mercury did not actually make them mad. It gave them the shakes and tremors which made them *appear* to be mad.