mad as a wet hen
Hopping with rage
Mad as a wet hen describes someone furiously angry.
Hens react with frantic, indignant squawking when doused with water, and the simile captures that kind of sputtering, ruffled outrage: She was mad as a wet hen when she found out they'd left without her.
The expression is folksy and somewhat old-fashioned, more common in rural American speech.
- fit to be tiedExtremely angry, enraged
- furiousExtremely angry
- mad as a hatterCompletely, absurdly insane
- boiling overLiquid overflowing from heat
- spitting nailsIntensely, visibly angry
irate · livid · wrathful · fuming · outraged · seeing red · beside oneself · enraged · fit to burst · indignant · hopping mad · flying off the handle · in a huff · throwing a fit · losing one's cool · exasperated · bent out of shape · vexed