method to his madness
1
7.9
- idiom
- Informal
:
hay un método en su locura
- See if there's a method to his madness.
Examples
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Now, let's assume that there is a method to his madness.
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But the self-proclaimed "freak of nature" says there's always been a method to his madness.
Blog text (9) -
Hamlet appears to be a lunatic, although Polonius is too shrewd and too much of a faker himself not to wonder if there is method to his madness.
Academic text (2002) -
Many people believe there is a method to his madness when he makes unexpected decisions.
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She finally realized that there was a method to his madness despite how strange his actions seemed.
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The artist's unusual style showed that there is often a method to his madness that others may not understand.
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The individual words 'method' (a systematic way) and 'madness' (crazy or reckless behaviour) signal that there may be some logic behind apparently irrational actions, so a learner who knows both words can get a good clue to the overall meaning. However, the relation is metaphorical and expressed in a fixed idiomatic pattern (the prepositional linking is not strictly compositional), so the exact interpretation is not fully predictable without prior exposure.
Etymology
Method to his madness comes from the picture of someone who looks crazy but is actually following a plan: the madness is the strange actions and the method is the hidden system they use. That's why it means 'a reason or plan behind odd behavior'.