Meaning
A crazy, wild, or unbelievable thing or situation — used both for something shockingly bad and for something impressively good, its meaning set by tone. 'A mad ting' can mean that's wild, that's messed up, at a piece of outrageous news, or, said admiringly, that's amazing, that's incredible, at something brilliant. Common in youth and diaspora speech, it registers strong reaction either way, marking whatever it names as far out of the ordinary, whether in disbelief and dismay or in real excitement.
Examples
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Dem rob di shop inna broad daylight? A mad ting!
They robbed the shop in broad daylight? That's crazy!
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Di new tune a mad ting, it a buss.
The new song is amazing, it's blowing up.
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Whole heap a mad ting a gwaan inna di world.
A whole lot of wild things are happening in the world.
Origin
From 'mad' (crazy/extreme) plus 'ting' (thing) — a thing so extreme it's 'mad', whether for good or ill. Common in modern youth and dancehall speech.
How it’s used
Context and tone decide whether it's negative ('messed up') or admiring ('amazing').