bee in one's bonnet

A chronic preoccupation, often fanciful or eccentric: “My cousin has a bee in his bonnet about the rudeness of local cabdrivers; he's written four letters to the editor on the subject.”

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Idioms and Phrases

A strange idea or notion; also, an idea that is harped on, an obsession. For example, Bill's got a bee in his bonnet about burglars; he's always imagining strange noises . This term, which replaced the earlier have bees in one's head , transfers the buzzing of a bee inside one's hat to a weird idea in one's head. [Second half of 1600s]

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April 24, 2024gallimaufry

[gal-uh-maw-free ]

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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