Meaning & use
bees in your bonnet
Last updated
Meanings
phraseidiominformal
to keep thinking and talking about one subject, as if you cannot let it go
Grammar: Used after have or with: she has bees in her bonnet about something.
Patterns
- have bees in your bonnet about something
- with bees in your bonnet
My uncle has bees in his bonnet about the city's new parking rules and mentions them at every meal.
She's got bees in her bonnet about healthy school lunches, so she brings it up in every meeting.
phraseidiominformaldisapproving
to hold odd or slightly crazy fixed ideas that you refuse to give up
Grammar: Often suggests the ideas are strange rather than merely persistent; usually said of other people, not yourself.
Patterns
- have bees in your bonnet
- with bees in your bonnet
The old man has bees in his bonnet about the moon landing and argues about it with anyone who listens.
Don't get bees in your bonnet over a rumor you read online.
Common combinations
- have bees in your bonnet
- He has bees in his bonnet about recycling and talks about it constantly.
- get bees in your bonnet
- She got bees in her bonnet about the noise and complained to the landlord every day.
- bees in your bonnet about something
- They have bees in their bonnet about the new highway.
- with bees in your bonnet
- He arrived with bees in his bonnet about the schedule.
Synonyms and how they differ
- obsession
- A noun for a strong, lasting interest; the idiom describes the person's behavior, not the interest itself.
- fixation
- More formal and can sound clinical; the idiom is informal and slightly humorous.
- bee in your bonnet
- The singular form is the more common British version and often refers to one single idea.
Word family
- bee in your bonnet phrase
- Singular form of the same idiom, usually about one persistent idea.
Commonly confused: bees in your bonnet or bee in your bonnet? bees in your bonnet or bone to pick?
bees in your bonnet vs bee in your bonnet
Not a different word: it is the singular version. Use "a bee in your bonnet" for one idea and "bees in your bonnet" when several ideas are involved.
bees in your bonnet vs bone to pick
"A bone to pick" means a complaint you want to discuss with someone; bees in your bonnet is about a topic you cannot stop thinking about.
Practice
Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Choose one answer.
The idiom is "have bees in your bonnet about something." Option 1 uses the correct preposition "about" and plural form. Option 2 uses "in" for the place, which changes the meaning; option 3 uses "on," which is not part of the idiom; option 4 wrongly puts "a" before the plural "bees."
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bees in your bonnet”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.