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'Mad as a Hatter'

Probably everyone among us has heard about the proverb 'mad as a hatter'. However, only a few of us know the historical reason behind it for being so. This proverb originated in the 18th Century in England.

Source of the image: www.alamy.com

Back then, wearing hats had become a new trend among the British people. So, hat-making was a profitable profession at that time. Still, very little did they know about the potential occupational hazards that came with manufacturing them. Hats were chiefly created using mercury compounds like mercurous nitrate. The long exposure of the workers to the toxic fumes of these gases took a heavy toll on them. In fact, in many cases, it was lethal for the craftsmen.
Source of the image:www.phrases.org.uk



They were driven into complete madness and their behaviour was similar to that of a drunkard. Due to this, most of the people thought they were acting so strange because they were drunk. Thus, originated the proverb 'mad as a hatter'.

Now that we know the actual history behind the application of this proverb, we'll probably not use it at least for a hat-maker!


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