mad as a meat axe

1 9.9

Very angry and acting without thinking

idiom

Archaic

: furioso como un hacha de carne

After the unfair call, the coach was mad as a meat axe and shouted at the referee.

Examples

Don't be mad as a meat axe!
If you take her coffee, she'll be mad as a meat axe all day.
He returned home mad as a meat axe when he found his car had been towed.
She was mad as a meat axe when she found out.
When I found out he lied to me, I was mad as a meat axe.
After being unfairly criticized at work, she became mad as a meat axe.
He was mad as a meat axe when he discovered his car had been towed.

Synonyms

angry

vsmad as a meat axe

∞ 1.0

Feeling very annoyed or upset

is more extreme and emphasizes wild or irrational conduct

mad

vsmad as a meat axe

∞ 1.0

Feeling angry or upset with someone

is stronger and highlights wild, irrational actions rather than simple anger

furious

vsmad as a meat axe

238 3.0

Very angry and ready to shout or complain

is more extreme and highlights wild, irrational behaviour

pissed off

vsmad as a meat axe

Informal

197 8.6

Very angry or annoyed

is wilder and implies irrational violent acting rather than casual irritation

outraged

vsmad as a meat axe

27 4.1

Feeling very angry and shocked because something seems unfair

is wilder and focuses on irrational violent acting rather than moral shock

irate

vsmad as a meat axe

23 5.3

Very angry and showing it

is wilder and more irrational in behaviour than formal anger

raving mad

vsmad as a meat axe

Informal

7 7.2

Acting or speaking in a wild, not sensible way

is similar but is an idiom stressing violent irrational behaviour

apoplectic

vsmad as a meat axe

6 8.6

So angry that you cannot speak or act calmly

is wilder and more idiomatic about irrational violent acting

rageful

vsmad as a meat axe

1 4.8

Feeling very angry and likely to shout or lose control

is more about wild, irrational behaviour than pure inward rage

pissed

vsmad as a meat axe

Informal

1 8.4

Feeling very angry or annoyed

is stronger and stresses wild, irrational action rather than casual anger

infuriated

vsmad as a meat axe

1 4.5

Feeling very angry because someone treated you unfairly

is more about wild, irrational action rather than just fury

raging

vsmad as a meat axe

1 3.9

Very strong and intense, often violent and out of control

is anger focused on wild, irrational behaviour rather than general intensity

mad as a wet hen

vsmad as a meat axe

Informal

1 9.8

Very angry or upset

is more about wild or irrational behaviour than plain upset

boiling mad

vsmad as a meat axe

Informal

1 4.8

Feeling very angry

is more about wild, irrational acting rather than heated feeling alone

apoplectic with rage

vsmad as a meat axe

8.8

Very angry and unable to control your words or actions

is more about wild, irrational acting rather than physical loss alone

mad as a cut snake

vsmad as a meat axe

Australian

9.9

Feeling extremely angry and acting wildly

is similar but stresses the phrase's vivid idiomatic image more

mad as hops

vsmad as a meat axe

Archaic

9.9

Feeling very angry and showing it

is more about furious, wild, or irrational behaviour rather than plain fury

enraged

vsmad as a meat axe

4.1

Very angry and likely to act violently

is more about acting wildly or irrationally than just feeling rage

angered

vsmad as a meat axe

2.5

Feeling very furious because someone did something unfair or rude

is more extreme and stresses wild or irrational acting

mad as a mongoose

vsmad as a meat axe

Informal

9.9

Very angry and unable to stay calm

is more about wild, irrational behaviour than general agitation

wild as a wet hen

vsmad as a meat axe

Informal

9.4

Feeling very angry and upset

is more about wild, uncontrolled action than quick agitation

rip-snorting mad

vsmad as a meat axe

Informal

9.5

Being very angry and hard to calm

is more about chaotic irrational acting than pure fierceness

maddened

vsmad as a meat axe

5.2

Very angry and acting out of control

is similar but focuses more on the idiomatic violent image

angry as a wet hen

vsmad as a meat axe

9.9

Feeling very angry and upset

is more extreme and stresses wild, irrational behaviour

mad enough to chew nails

vsmad as a meat axe

Archaic

9.9

Very angry and ready to do something extreme

is more violent and idiomatic about irrational behaving than mere upset

Antonyms

calm

735 1.0

Not showing strong feelings and being very still

How Angry

mad as a meat axe

Archaic

1 9.9

furious

238 3.0

angry

∞ 1.0

annoyed

77 1.0

irritated

44 3.1

Surface Forms

mad as a meat axe positive

Morphology

mad + as + a + meat + ax

The simile pattern 'mad as a X' signals an intense degree of anger, so a learner who recognises the comparative structure can infer 'very angry' from the constituents. However, 'meat axe' is an atypical, colloquial noun phrase whose literal parts do not encode anger, making the exact phrasing idiomatic and not fully predictable from the words alone.

Etymology

Mad as a meat axe may come from the image of a butcher swinging a heavy cleaver, called a meat axe, in a wild, angry way. That's why it now means 'very angry' or 'acting wildly'.