Do you mean angry-mad or mad-mad?

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frindle2

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Hello. Would you please tell me what underlined part means in the context below?
I'm wondering what's the difference between angry and mad in this context.

(It's story about a boy with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. This is a conversation between the boy and his counselor.
The boy's mom is alcoholic and he thinks he wore the red T-shirt and his mom got bad. He thinks he made it happen.)

"Something bad happened, when I wore the red T-shirt."
"What happened?"
"I... think... I made someone... mad."
"Who?"
"Do I have to say?"
"No. Do you mean angry-mad or mad-mad?"
Both? Neither? I watch the yellow clock tick my sixteen seconds. "I'm not sure."

Source: When I See Blue by Lily Bailey
 

probus

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The mother could equally well have asked "Angry mad or crazy mad?" I hope that clarifies it for you. Mad is a synonym for crazy, although that usage of mad is very rare in AmE. In AmE mad almost invariably means angry. We tend to prefer crazy or insane over mad when we mean mentally ill. But mad meaning crazy is common in BrE.
 

Amigos4

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Like Mad Max. Is Max “angry mad”? Is Max “crazy mad”? Or is Max’s madness a lot of each type?
 
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