Why 'as mad as a hatter'?

'Mad as a hatter' is usually used to describe extreme eccentricity.
The phrase appears in "The Clockmaker" (1817) by Thomas Haliburton but surprisingly not directly by Lewis Caroll in either 'Alice in Wonderland' (1865) or 'Through the Looking Glass (1871).

Where does the idiom come from?

It is believed to be an allusion to the grim effect of mercury poisoning on workers (hatters) manufacturing felt hats.

Mercury poisoning affects the nervous system, with dementia a common symptom. Daily direct contact with the metal made hat-makers particularly vulnerable to the affliction.

What is the Alice in Wonderland connection?

There is "A Mad Tea-Party" in Alice where Hatta the Hatter and the March Hare are initially referred to as "both mad" by the Cheshire Cat. It is the zany antics of Hatta & the Cheshire Cat that are being referenced in modern usage.

The model for Teniell's famous illustration of Hatta is believed to be an eccentric furniture-maker named Theophilus Carter.

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58 countries list English as an official language - but not the UK. The world's lingua franca or second language is not, technically, the 'official' language of its birthplace. The de factoofficial language of the United Kingdom is English,[3][4] which is spoken by approximately 59.8 million residents, or 98% of the population, over the age of three.[1][2][10][11][12] An estimated 700,000 people speak Welsh in the UK,[13] an official language in Wales

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According Henry Hitchings Language Wars (2011) these nations do not currently have an official primary language: UK see hereUSAthough 20 states now have an official language — see hereAustralia 80% speak English but not officialPakistan Urdu became official language in 2015 but only spoken by 8% of population.EthiopiaAmharic is official language but most spoken is OromoSomaliaEritrea Costa Rica Why these countries?Read extended transcript on Medium

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