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Source: The Executive Guide to Artificial Intelligence: How to identify and implement applications for AI in your organization by Andrew Burgess

I talk about these AI Winters in a little detail because there is the obvious question of whether the current boom in AI is just another case of over-inflated expectations that will lead to a third spell of the technology being left out in the cold. As we have seen in the previous chapter, the marketing machines and industry analysts are in a complete froth about AI and what it will be capable of.

I consulted dictionaries and searched google for in a froth about idiom, but I couldn't find anything helpful. Thanks in advance.

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    The underlying comparison is to a rabid dog, frothing at the mouth. It means more than "excited". It means excited to the point of madness. It's a form of exaggeration. – Tᴚoɯɐuo Aug 15 '18 at 20:32
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To be in a froth about something is to be worked up or agitated by it.

From the Collins definition of the verb froth:

If you say that someone is frothing, or that they are frothing at the mouth, you are emphasizing that they are very angry or excited about something.

[written, emphasis]
'No! No! Never!' he froths. [VERB with quote]
This story has many ingredients which make any news editor froth at the mouth with excitement. [VERB preposition]

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  • So it means excited in the original sentence? – Sara Aug 15 '18 at 19:56
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    @Sara Most likely. At the very least, they are being kept busy producing marketing material and analyses. It's like disturbing an ants' nest. :) – Jason Bassford Aug 15 '18 at 20:00
  • +1; the OP's quote is indeed a variant of frothing at the mouth, which is an established idiom. – J.R.♦ Aug 16 '18 at 7:47
  • "Foaming at the mouth" is, in my experience at least, a much more common idiom. I believe the source is from the archetype of enraged people losing control with spittle flying from their mouth as they fight/scream/shout. An alternate source I've read (and that I'm looking for) is related to dogs with rabies, where they typically produce excess foamy spittle and are known to be erratic & savage. Frothing at the mouth & foaming at the mouth are interchangeable, but the latter is probably more contemporary/in everyday usage. – david_c Aug 16 '18 at 8:41

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