之前討論過 Mad as a fuckin' hatter,因為網友的提醒去找了字義出處和來源。雖然大概知道是製作帽子時過程中,工人們因為使用的水銀而產生的中毒現象,所衍生的字義。但還是不太能夠理解「為什麼製作帽子的過程會使用到水銀」。
今天看了BBC Great British Railway Journeys S01E02 中間一段,重遊 Bradshaw年代製帽產業極盛的曼城一間碩果僅存的工廠時,清楚地呈現帽子的生產流程,和 mad as a hatter 的由來
[製帽過程約在2:44時,下面這段話約在4:21]
In Bradshaw's time, mercury was used to separate the rabbit hair from the hide to make the felted hoods. Many hat workers suffered from mercury poisoning, with symptoms like erratic behaviour and dementia. It's said that the expression "mad as a hatter" came from that.
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