Mad as a March hare

Historical development of the idiom

A long-held view is that the hare will behave strangely and excitedly throughout its breeding season, which, in Europe, peaks in the month of March. This odd behaviour includes boxing at other hares, jumping vertically for seemingly no reason and generally displaying abnormal behaviour. An early verbal record of this animal's strange behaviour occurred in about 1500, in the poem Blowbol's Test where the original poet said: :Thanne þey begyn to swere and to stare, And be as braynles as a Marshe hare :(Then they begin to swerve and to stare, And be as brainless as a March hare)

Similar phrases are attested in the sixteenth century in the works of John Skelton (Replycacion, 1528: "Aiii, I saye, thou madde Marche Hare"; Magnyfycence, 1529: "As mery as a marche hare"). A later recorded use of the phrase occurs in the writings of Sir Thomas More (The supplycacyon of soulys made by syr Thomas More knyght councellour to our souerayn lorde the Kynge and chauncellour of hys Duchy of Lancaster. Agaynst the supplycacyon of beggars: "As mad not as a March hare, but as a madde dogge."

Although the phrase in general has been in continuous use since the 16th century, it was popularised in more recent times by Lewis Carroll in his 1865 children's book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, in which the March Hare is a character.

Biological basis

During the breeding season of European or brown hares, male hares typically chase female ones. However, if a female hare does not wish to mate with a male hare, she may respond by engaging in a fight with the male hare. Observations of this particular behaviour have likely contributed to the association contained within the phrase "mad as a March hare."

References

References

1. "Dylan Winter – Irish Hare". BBC Radio 4.
2. "Mad as a March hare". UsingEnglish.com.
3. "As mad as a March hare". Phrase Finder.
4. First printed by W. C. Hazlitt in 1864, ''Remains of Early Popular Poetry of England''
5. "Early English Books Online". Text Creation Partnership.