My late husband was from London, England. ‘Having a nut do’ was a common expression for him describing our sons running around the house in high spirits yelling and laughing and being rowdy. The dog being overexcited over a new toy would also be described as have a nut do. But using the phrase as doing his nut would be more related to anger and aggression, as in ‘the boss was doing his nut over a shipment being lost.’
Richard Leek:
September 22nd, 2017 at 1:12 pm
I’ve always understood that the expression “to go spare quote was at least popularized in cockney rhyming slang. Go spare = Mad as a March hare. If this is the case, it would probably pre-date the 1940s expression.
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jean:
February 17th, 2016 at 9:23 am
My late husband was from London, England. ‘Having a nut do’ was a common expression for him describing our sons running around the house in high spirits yelling and laughing and being rowdy. The dog being overexcited over a new toy would also be described as have a nut do. But using the phrase as doing his nut would be more related to anger and aggression, as in ‘the boss was doing his nut over a shipment being lost.’
Richard Leek:
September 22nd, 2017 at 1:12 pm
I’ve always understood that the expression “to go spare quote was at least popularized in cockney rhyming slang. Go spare = Mad as a March hare. If this is the case, it would probably pre-date the 1940s expression.