Meaning & use
bee in your bonnet
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Meaning
phraseidiominformal
A strong, persistent preoccupation with one idea or topic that a person keeps raising, often to the annoyance of others.
Grammar: Used with have or get, and the possessive matches the owner: he has a bee in his bonnet.
Patterns
- have a bee in your bonnet about something
- get a bee in your bonnet
My uncle has a bee in his bonnet about recycling and checks everyone's bins.
Ever since the meeting, she's had a bee in her bonnet about the new parking rules.
Don't get a bee in your bonnet over a small mistake.
Common combinations
- have a bee in your bonnet
- Dad has a bee in his bonnet about turning off lights.
- get a bee in your bonnet
- She got a bee in her bonnet about tidying the garage.
- a bee in your bonnet about something
- He has a bee in his bonnet about punctuality.
- still have a bee in your bonnet
- The coach still has a bee in his bonnet about last week's referee.
Synonyms and how they differ
- obsession
- Obsession is a neutral or serious noun and can describe something unhealthy, whereas a bee in your bonnet sounds lighter and more like a stubborn pet topic.
- hang-up
- A hang-up suggests an emotional anxiety or problem, while a bee in your bonnet is about an idea the person keeps pushing.
- bugbear
- A bugbear is something that irritates or worries you, whereas a bee in your bonnet is something you keep talking about with enthusiasm or anger.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: bee in your bonnet or bats in the belfry?
bee in your bonnet vs bats in the belfry
This idiom means being slightly crazy or eccentric, while a bee in your bonnet means being fixated on one idea.
Practice
Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Choose one answer.
The idiom describes someone fixated on a topic, which fits the neighbor. The other options use it literally or with the wrong meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bee in your bonnet”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.