bee in one's bonnet



bee in one's bonnet

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]
See also: bee, bonnet

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Edison['edisn]
Yianni-Greek
EsdrasEZ-drəs (English)Biblical, Biblical Greek
Lysander-Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Zuzanka-Czech, Slovak
BrunoBROO-no (German), BRUW-naw (Polish)German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Croatian, Polish, Ancient Germanic