Question

Bee in Your Bonnet a crazy idea; an obsession with an idea

Accepted Answer

Mr. Davis thinks he can teach us the trombone. He must have a bee in his bonnet. This 16th-century expression was originally "to have a head full of bees," but it changed to "bee in one's bonnet" in Robert Herrick's "Mad Maid's Song," a poem written in 1648. It sounds better this way because of alliteration—both words beginning with the same letter. If you have a crazy idea and can't talk about anything else, it's like having a bee stuck in your hat. A similar expression is to have "bats in your belfry."

Idiom	Bee in Your Bonnet
Example	Mr. Davis thinks he can teach us the trombone. He must have a bee in his bonnet.
Meaning	a crazy idea; an obsession with an idea
Origin	This 16th-century expression was originally "to have a head full of bees," but it changed to "bee in one's bonnet" in Robert Herrick's "Mad Maid's Song," a poem written in 1648. It sounds better this way because of alliteration—both words beginning with the same letter. If you have a crazy idea and can't talk about anything else, it's like having a bee stuck in your hat. A similar expression is to have "bats in your belfry."

Bee Bonnet Crazy Idea Expression Mr Davis Thinks