mad

Everyday

1. (informal, especially USA) Angry. tree →
2. (UK and elsewhere, informal) Very silly or foolish; crazy. tree →
3. mad about/on: liking something very much. tree →
4. (old or offensive) Mentally ill; avoid this use about real people. tree →
5. (slang) Very, or very great: "mad skills". tree →

In the lessons

In everyday talk: "Mum was mad at me" (angry, mostly USA), "you're mad to swim in winter" (crazy, UK). Phrases: mad at, mad about, go mad, drive someone mad, like mad, mad as a hatter.

Examples

• Mum was mad at me for being late. tree →
• You're mad to go swimming in this cold! tree →
• She's mad about horses. tree →
• The noise is driving me mad. tree →
• We ran like mad to catch the bus. tree →
• The crowd went mad when we scored. tree →
• (slang) He's got mad skills on the skateboard. tree →
• "Den Brer Possum git mighty mad. tree →

Note

Comparison: madder, maddest (double d). "Mad" meaning angry is more American; in the UK people more often mean "crazy". Calling a real person "mad" for illness is unkind. "Like mad" means very fast or very hard.

In Jewish tradition

In the Torah it means driven out of one's wits by terrible suffering, as a curse that falls on those who break the covenant. The prophets and Ecclesiastes also use it for wild, senseless behaviour, as a "mad flight" or mad laughter, and Hosea says the people scorn the prophet as mad.

Interpretation. Tradition reads such curses as a warning of what happens when people turn away from God's commands. Hosea's verse is read as showing how the people mocked true prophets.

Examples

• so that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. (Torah DEU.28.34, JPS 1917) tree →
• Madmenah is in mad flight; the inhabitants of Gebim flee to cover. (Prophets ISA.10.31, JPS 1917) tree →
• The prophet is a fool, the man of the spirit is mad! (Prophets HOS.9.7, JPS 1917) tree →
• I said of laughter: 'It is mad'; and of mirth: 'What doth it accomplish?' (Writings ECC.2.2, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Comparison: madder, maddest (double d). "Mad" meaning angry is more American; in the UK people more often mean "crazy". Calling a real person "mad" for illness is unkind. "Like mad" means very fast or very hard.