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  3. Idioms / Maxims / Sayings

'Être fou comme un lapin'

English translation: As mad as a March hare

15:07 Nov 5, 2019
French to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Idioms / Maxims / Sayings / French idiom
French term or phrase: 'Être fou comme un lapin'
Hi everyone, I have been asked to do a translation of a French literary text and the idiom 'être fou comme un lapin' is in the text. I have asked two French friends and they told me they have no idea of what it means. It does not appear anywhere online either so I was wondering if you could help me. Thanks in advance!
Gemma BF
Spain
Local time: 23:47
English translation:As mad as a March hare
Explanation:
Hello
For me, this is the only phrase that refers to the hare's sexual antics in March, as does the French expression pointed out by Ph_B in the discussion
Selected response from:

SafeTex
France
Local time: 23:47
Grading comment
This is great and probably the most useful answer as it is for a literary text. Really appreciate it.



Summary of answers provided
5 +8As mad as a March hare
SafeTex
5 +1To be as mad as a hatter
Cydonie Miles
3to be batshit crazy
Ben Gaia
2crazy as a loon
Barbara Cochran, MFA


Discussion entries: 3





  

Answers


4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
to be batshit crazy


Explanation:
A modern idiom which used to be "mad as a snake" or more precisely, in Australia, "mad as a cut snake". As the discussion entry suggests there is a sense in French regarding rabbits as sexually very active, but the phrase is usually "un lapin chaud" - a hot rabbit", for a horny person, so I suggest this modern English animal-madness equivalent.

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Note added at 4 hrs (2019-11-05 19:53:01 GMT)
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Good note on etymology here: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=batshit craz...

Ben Gaia
New Zealand
Local time: 09:47
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Tony M: Although not really suitable for GB, where the expression is less used, and still has a US association... / No, 'batshit crazy' + 'stir crazy' both have US associations to us Brits; 'going apeshit' is a quite different expression. 'Crazy' is a bit US.
11 mins
  -> Australian surely, the US equivalent is "apeshit"? Though associations can be random. The full Ozzy phrase was "All over the place like a mad woman's knitting". It seems to have morphed into a more defecatory sense.
neutral  AllegroTrans: asker says it's a literary text: unless it has this register of language your suggestion is not suitable
16 hrs
  -> Not all literature is stuck in the nineteenth century. French idioms are often much ruder than British ones.
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5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
crazy as a loon


Explanation:
https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/crazy as a loon

Although it's usually associated with a bird, not a rabbit.

Barbara Cochran, MFA
United States
Local time: 17:47
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Tony M: Again, possibly more suitable for the US; 'a bit loony' might sound more familiar in BE.
30 days
  -> Yes, it would be suitable then, because I am in the US, merci a Dieu.
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6 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +8
As mad as a March hare


Explanation:
Hello
For me, this is the only phrase that refers to the hare's sexual antics in March, as does the French expression pointed out by Ph_B in the discussion


    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mad_as_a_March_hare
    https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/as-mad-as-a-march-hare.html
SafeTex
France
Local time: 23:47
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
Grading comment
This is great and probably the most useful answer as it is for a literary text. Really appreciate it.
Notes to answerer
Asker: This is probably the best option as it's a literary text, thank you very much! Really appreciate it.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Stephanie Benoist: I like maintaining the rabbit image. also reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland (of course it was the Hatter who was mad, mais bon...)
3 hrs
  -> thanks Stephanie
agree  Ben Gaia: Perfect.
12 hrs
  -> Thanks. Some similarities between languages does help at times
agree  AllegroTrans
12 hrs
  -> Thanks AllegroTrans :)
agree  B D Finch: Also works without the "As", i.e. "Mad as a March hare".
13 hrs
  -> Thanks
agree  Ph_B (X)
15 hrs
  -> Cheers
agree  Michele Fauble
19 hrs
  -> Thank you
agree  Yolanda Broad
1 day 3 hrs
  -> Thanks Yolanda
agree  Tony M: Yes, and captures a similar notion: rabbits or hares behaving oddly in the Spring (season of reproduction)
30 days
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30 days   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
To be as mad as a hatter


Explanation:
This is our most common translation for British English, but we do also use "as mad as a march hare" - both are quite quaint and old fashioned, but still used in a polite setting.

Cydonie Miles
France
Local time: 23:47
Works in field
Native speaker of: English

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Yolanda Broad
53 mins
neutral  Tony M: Although the association with Alice in Wonderland is appealing, there was of course the White Rabbit; but this kind of "madness" was really quite different, so not sure the origin of the expression is quite apt?
6 hrs
  -> Yes, the madness is a bit different, frustrated-mad vs crazy-mad, but I wasn't sure of the context. Although the phrase was popularised in the Alice books, it did come from hat makers who used a special substance in their work that made them go dotty!
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