method in one's madness

Idioms & Phrases

method in one's madness

An underlying purpose in crazy behavior, as in Harry takes seemingly random trips around the country but there's method to his madnesshe's checking on real estate values. This expression comes from Shakespeare's Hamlet (2:2): "Though this be madness, yet there is method in it." For a modern equivalent, see crazy like a fox.

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