have a cow

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have a cow

Where it comes from

Unknown. Popularized by the TV show The Simpsons where it was one of the catchphrases of Bart Simpson.

verb has a cow · having a cow · had a cow

colloquial, in the negative To get angry; have a fit. My mom had a cow when I came in late.
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see have, a, cow.

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MLA

"have a cow." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/have%20a%20cow. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

have a cow. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/have%20a%20cow

Chicago

"have a cow." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/have%20a%20cow.

BibTeX

@misc{have_a_cow_2026,
  title = {have a cow},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/have%20a%20cow},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}