mad rush

Idioms & Phrases

mad rush

A wild hurry, as in I was in a mad rush to get to the bank on time to cash my check, or Why the mad rush? We have lots of time before the concert starts. The use of in a rush for "being in a hurry" dates from the second half of the 1800s, and mad, for "frenzied," serves merely as an intensifier.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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