method in one's madness

method in one's madness idiom
An underlying purpose in crazy behavior, as in Harry takes seemingly random trips around the country but there's method to his madness—he's checking on real estate values. This expression comes from Shakespeare's Hamlet (2:2): “Though this be madness, yet there is method in it.” For a modern equivalent, see crazy like a fox.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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