Expressions with the word bee [to have a bee in your bonnet; to put a bee in someone's bonnet]

In a previous post, I talked about some expressions used with people that won't stop talking. I said you can call those people many different ways, like chatty, motormouth, chatterbox, etc. Today, there's an expression that can somehow relate to someone like that, someone who won't just shut up. The expression is to have a bee in one's bonnet about something. Let's get to know it!

But before going into that expression, it's worth pointing out that there's actually a difference between being chatty and the expression I just mentioned. When you call someone a chatterbox or chatty for example, it means he or she is always speaking. The expression we're touching on today though refers to people that can also speak a lot, but not for any reason or at any time, but for a special reason that makes them really excited about. Maybe you're not a very chatty person in a normal situation, but when it comes to a specific idea or something that you think is important, you become a real chatterbox.

For example, suppose your name is Mary, you're an animal lover, and you think all the dogs should be rescued immediately. It is a really good idea, but it is not something that happens overnight. Still you don't care. You think it is like a priority in your life and you won't stop talking about it until you feel like you mission's been completed. Maybe one of your friends, Derick, thinks you're a little obsessed with that idea and says: She's got a real bee in her bonnet about rescuing dogs. What did Derick mean by to have a been in your bonnet? That means that you keep talking about rescuing dogs again and again and again, and that makes him a little bit annoyed sometimes. When you use that expression to talk about someone else, it generally means you don't care for the idea as much as the person does. For example, Derick might not think the idea of rescuing dogs is as important as you think it is. So he'll say you've got a real bee in your bonnet about it.

But let's suppose you keep trying to make your friend like the dog rescue idea just as much. At first he wouldn't want to listen to what you say very much, but eventually he starts listening attentively to every word you say and ends up getting involved with your idea without even noticing. When something like that happens, he can say: Mary put a bee in my bonnet about rescuing dogs. That means you, Mary, gave him the idea and now he's just as obsessed about it as you. You made him believe the idea. You put a bee in his bonnet about resuing dogs. That's it guys. Talk to you next time!