CRAZINESS
(as) crazy as a loon
very silly; completely insane. (Folksy.)If you think you can get away with that, you're as crazy as a loon.Poor old John is crazy as a loon.
(as) mad as a hatter
crazy.Poor old John is as mad as a hatter.All these screaming children are driving me mad as a hatter.
(as) nutty as a fruitcake
silly; crazy. (Slang. A fruitcake usually has lots of nuts in it.)Whenever John goes to a party, he gets as nutty as a fruitcake.Sally has been acting as nutty as a fruitcake lately.
crack up
to go crazy. (Slang.)The mayor cracked up after only a year in office.I was afraid the mayor would crack up because of too much work.
drive someone crazy and drive someone mad
to make someone insane.He's so strange that he actually drove his wife crazy.Doctor, there are little green people following me around trying to drive me mad.
drive someone up the wall
to make someone insane. (Slang.)Mr. Franklin drove his wife up the wall.All my problems will drive me up the wall someday.
go (a)round the bend
to go crazy; to lose one's mind. (Informal.)If I don't get some rest, I'll go round the bend.Poor Bob. He has been having trouble for a long time. He finally went around the bend.
go bananas
to go crazy or become silly.(Slang.)Whenever I see Sally, I just go bananas! She's fantastic.This was a horrible day! I almost went bananas.
go stir-crazy
to become anxious because one is confined. (Slang. Stir is an old criminal word for "prison.")If I stay around this house much longer, I'm going to go stir-crazy.John left school. He said he was going stir-crazy.
have a screw loose
to act silly or crazy. (Slang.)John is such a clown. He acts as if he has a screw loose.What's the matter with you? Do you have a screw loose or something?
have bats in one's belfry
to be slightly crazy.Poor old Tom has bats in his belfry.Don't act so silly, John. People will think you have bats in your belfry.
have rocks in one's head
to be silly or crazy. (Slang.)John is a real nut. He has rocks in his head.I don't have rocks in my head—I'm just different.
lose one's marbles and lose one's mind
to go crazy; to go out of one's mind.What a silly thing to say! Have you lost your marbles?I can't seem to remember anything. I think I'm losing my mind.
not all there
not mentally adequate; crazy or silly. (Informal.)Sometimes I think you're not all there.Be nice to Sally. She's not all there.
not have all one's marbles
not to have all one's mental capacities. (Informal.)John acts as if he doesn't have all his marbles.I'm afraid that I don't have all my marbles all the time.
off one's rocker and off one's nut; off one's trolley
crazy; silly. (Slang.)Sometimes, Bob, I think you're off your rocker.Good grief, John. you're off your nut.About this time of the day I go off my trolley. I get so tired.
out in left field
offbeat; unusual and eccentric. (Informal.)Sally is a lot of fun, but she's sort of out in left field.What a strange idea. It's really out in left field.
out of one's mind and out of one's head; out of one's senses
silly and senseless; crazy; irrational.Why did you do that? You must be out of your mind!Good grief, Tom! You have to be out of your head!She's acting as if she were out of her senses.
out of w(h)ack
crazy; silly; irrational. (Slang.)Why do you always act as if you're out of whack?I'm not out of whack. I'm eccentric.
pop one's cork
to suddenly become mentally disturbed; to go crazy. (Slang.)I was so upset that I nearly popped my cork.They put him away because he popped his cork.
psyche out
to go crazy. (Slang. Pronounced as if it were spelled sike.)I don't know what happened to me. Suddenly I psyched out and started yelling.Max nearly psyched out when he saw the bill.
stark raving mad
totally insane; completely crazy; out of control. (Often an exaggeration.)When she heard about what happened at the office, she went stark raving mad.You must be stark raving mad if you think I would trust you with my car!
take leave of one's senses
to become irrational. (Often verbatim with one's.)What are you doing? Have you taken leave of your senses?What a terrible situation! It's enough to make one take leave of one's senses.
touched (in the head)
crazy. (Folksy or slang.)Sometimes Bob acts like he's touched in the head.In fact, I thought he was touched.
See also SILLINESS.
(a)round the bend
mod. crazy; beyond sanity.I think I'm going around the bend.She sounds like she's round the bend already.
balmy
mod. crazy; giddy.You are totally balmy if you think I will put up with that stuff.What a balmy idea!
bats and batty
mod. crazy.You're bats!You are driving me batty!
birdy and birdie
mod. crazy; strange.She acts a little birdy from time to time.Would you kindly take your birdie friends and go?
bonkers and crackers
mod. insane; crazy.Get this bonkers brother of yours out of here!I think I am going crackers.
bonzo
mod. crazy.You are completely bonzo!I want out of this bonzo place!
climb the wall(s)
tr. to do something desperate when one is anxious, bored, or excited.He was home for only three days; then he began to climb the wall.I was climbing the walls to get back to work.
cockeyed
mod. crazy.Who came up with this cockeyed idea, anyway?If you didn't act so cockeyed all the time, you'd have more friends.
coo-coo and cuckoo
mod. insane.The chick is just coo-coo, that's all.How did I ever get involved in this cuckoo scheme, anyway?
cracked
mod. crazy.You're cracked if you think I'll agree to that.You gotta be cracked if you think I'm going back in there.
crackpot
mod. having to do with crazy things, mainly ideas.We need a crackpot idea around here just so we'll have something to compare your ideas to.Why not start a crackpot idea contest?
dingy
mod. loony; giddy.That friend of yours sure does act dingy sometimes.Tell the dingy drip to forget it.I'm not dingy, I'm just in love.
dippy
mod. crazy; loony.Who is that dippy chick with the lamp shade on her head?Tom is dippy, but fun.
drive someone around the bend
tr. to drive someone crazy.This tax stuff is about to drive me around the bend.Gert tried to drive us all around the bend.
drive someone bonkers and drive someone nuts
tr. to drive someone crazy.This cold is driving me bonkers.These tax forms are driving me nuts.
far gone
mod. in an extreme state.Wow, that chick is far gone. Listen to her rave.He was too far gone to make any sense.
flip
in. to go crazy.Wow, I've got so much to do, I may just flip.The guy flipped. He was the nervous type.
flip one's wig
tr. to go crazy; to lose control.Tom nearly flipped his wig.I flipped my wig when I got the news.
funny-farm
n. an insane asylum; a mental hospital.I think they ought to send you to the funny-farm.He's too far gone for the funny-farm.
gaga
mod. crazy; eccentric.Sometimes you are so gaga!Sally is just naturally gaga.
go bananas
in. to go mildly crazy.Sorry, I just went bananas for a minute.I thought he was going to go bananas.
go haywire
in. [for a person] to go berserk.I thought for a minute that Pete was going to go haywire.Sorry, I guess I just went haywire for a minute.
go mental
in. go crazy; to act stupid.Don't go mental, Jane. Just calm down and think about it.Another day in that history class and I know I will go mental.
gonzo
mod. crazy.The guy is totally gonzo!Who drew this gonzo picture of me?
go zonkers
in. to go slightly crazy.What a day! I almost went zonkers.I went a little zonkers there for a minute.
half a bubble off plumb
phr. giddy; crazy.She is acting about half a bubble off plumb. What is wrong with her?Tom is just half a bubble off plumb, but he is all heart.
have a screw loose and have a loose screw
tr. to be silly or eccentric. (Have got can replace have.)He's sort of strange. I think he's got a loose screw.Yes, he has a screw loose somewhere.
have bats in one's belfry
tr. to be crazy.You must really have bats in your belfry if you think I'll put up with that kind of stuff.Pay no attention to her. She has bats in her belfry.
have rocks in one's head
tr. to be silly or crazy. (Have got can replace have.)You have rocks in your head!She's got rocks in her head if she thinks that.
loco
mod. crazy. (From Spanish.)Who is that loco kid jumping up and down in the front seat?This zit is gonna drive me loco.
loony and loonie
mod. crazy.That is a loony idea. Forget it.I'm not really as loony as I seem.
lose (all) one's marbles
tr. to become crazy.Have you lost all your marbles?She acts like she lost her marbles.
meshuga and meshugah
mod. crazy. (From Hebrew meshuggah via Yiddish.)What a meshuga day!This guy is meshugah!
non compos
mod. out of one's mind; non compos mentis. (Latin.)She is strictly non compos!Don't pay any attention to her. She's non compos.
not all there
mod. crazy; stupid acting.Tom's not all there. Really dense.You can't depend on Paul for much help. He's really not all there.
not play with a full deck
in. to operate as if one were not mentally sound.That guy's not playing with a full deck.Look sharp, you dummies! Pretend you are playing with a full deck.
nuts
mod. crazy.You're nuts if you think I care.That whole idea is just nuts!
nutty as a fruitcake
mod. very silly or stupid.The whole idea is as nutty as a fruitcake.Tom is as nutty as a fruitcake. They will put him in a nuttery someday.
nut up
in. to go crazy; to go nuts.I've got to have a vacation soon, or I'm going to nut up.Poor Sue nutted up and had to take it easy for a few months.
off one's chump
mod. crazy; nuts.You silly clown. You're off your chump.Am I off my chump, or did that car suddenly disappear?
off one's nut
mod. crazy; out of one's head.Shut up! You're off your nut!Don't pay any attention to her. She's off her nut.
off one's rocker
mod. silly; giddy; crazy.That silly dame is off her rocker.You're off your rocker if you think I believe that!
off one's trolley
mod. silly; eccentric.Don't mind Uncle Charles. He's a bit off his trolley.That silly old man is just off his trolley.
plumb loco
mod. completely crazy. (Folksy. Loco is from a Spanish word meaning “mad.”)You're plumb loco if you think I'll go along with that.All those people were running around like they were plumb loco.
potty
mod. crazy.She is acting a little potty.Who is that potty old man?He got more potty as he grew older.
schizo
mod. schizophrenic.That gal is sort of schizo, isn't she?I have never dealt with such a schizo type before.
screwy
mod. crazy.I've never heard such a screwy idea.It's really screwy.That's the screwiest-looking hat I've ever seen.
slip one's trolley
tr. to become a little crazy; to lose one's composure.I was afraid I would slip my trolley.He slipped his trolley and went totally bonkers.
snap
in. to go crazy.Suddenly Rocko snapped and began beating her savagely.His mind snapped, and he's never been right since.
squirrely
mod. loony.Who wrote this squirrely play?Good old squirrely Tom! Isn't he a wonder?No, he's just squirrely.
weirded out
mod. disturbed or unnerved by drugs or events.I was totally weirded out and couldn't control myself.After the blowup, Fred was really weirded out.
weird out
in. to become emotionally disturbed or unnerved.The day was just gross. I thought I would weird out at noon.I weirded out at the news of Frankie's death.
whacked
mod. crazy; silly.Greg acts whacked all the time.Garth seems whacked, but he's just putting on.
wigged (out) and wiggy
mod. having lost control of oneself.The kid is just too wigged to do anything these days.After the bad news, she was totally wigged out.
wig out
in. to lose control of oneself.I was afraid I would wig out if I stayed any longer.Take it easy, man. Don't wig out.