as fierce as a mad dog
- idiom
- Informal
:
tan feroz como un perro rabioso
- Don't provoke her; she's as fierce as a mad dog!
Examples
-
The manager stormed into the room as fierce as a mad dog, demanding explanations.
-
When he yelled at the referee, he looked as fierce as a mad dog.
-
During the argument, she spoke as fierce as a mad dog, not holding back her anger.
-
He was as fierce as a mad dog during the argument.
-
She defended her beliefs as fierce as a mad dog, not backing down even when challenged.
-
The dog barked as fierce as a mad dog at the approaching strangers, guarding its territory.
-
During the debate, he argued as fierce as a mad dog, showing no signs of hesitation.
Synonyms
∞
2.5
Using strong force that causes harm
311
3.7
Behaving in a hostile way and ready to attack or argue
238
3.0
Very angry and ready to shout or complain
220
3.0
Showing great power, anger or passion
64
5.5
Very strong and violent in a way that hurts or scares
27
4.5
Very fierce and violent and often cruel
26
7.5
Being ready to argue or fight
22
7.2
Very loud and harsh in a way that feels unpleasant
8
8.4
Very bold and rude in a way that forces people to notice
4
7.4
To do something with great energy and effort
4
8.6
To a very great degree
1
9.9
Very angry and acting without thinking
Very violent and likely to destroy things
Feeling extremely angry and acting wildly
Feeling very angry and showing it
Very angry and unable to stay calm
Very angry and ready to do something extreme
Feeling very angry and upset
Act very bravely and without backing down
In a very brave and aggressive way that shows no fear
Antonyms
How Fierce
Surface Forms
Morphology
as + fierce + as + a + mad + dog
The simile structure 'as ... as' combined with 'fierce' and the image of a 'mad dog' yields a directly interpretable meaning of being very aggressive; a learner who knows the words and comparative pattern can compose this meaning. This is a common, cross-linguistic figurative comparison rather than an idiom with a noncompositional meaning, so it should be transparent to a B1 learner.
Etymology
As fierce as a mad dog comes from the scary image of a dog with rabies that is wild and may attack without warning. People compared someone's violent, out-of-control behaviour to a mad dog, so the phrase means 'extremely aggressive or threatening'.