Mad As a Wet Hen

I went to the library once again even though I have no time to be reading. I picked up this book, Mad As a Wet Hen and Other Funny Idioms by Marvin Terban and Illustrated by Giulio Maestro. It is a kiddy book but pretty good for what it is.

The book states that to be mad as wet hen means "to be furiously angry". It describes that a wet hen flaps its wings furiously and thus the idiom.

Now I heard that the expression is mad as wet setting hen. It means the same thing, but I wonder how the word "setting" got added. I do know that a setting hen can be very angry if you get near her chicks. I can remember growing up we had chickens, and I hated this one ole mother hen. If I ever got too close to her nest she would chase me. No one would believe me. And as the chicks got bigger we put them in their own cage off the ground. It was my duty to let them out of their cages every morning and so often the mother hen would chase me. My mom would tell me not to run, but what is a kid suppose to do hen a hen comes at you flapping her wings and sqwaking? Anyhow, when someone refers to other as an ole mother hen, it does not bring to mind anything positive and I try to avoid them!