[net.nlang] idiomatic phrases indicating insanity?

chris@byucsa.UUCP (Chris J. Grevstad) (02/11/85)

.

	I am interested (for my own bizarre reasons!) in compiling a list
of phrases indicating that someone is crazy.  For example:

			I don't know if his biscuits are all done.
			I think he has a screw loose.
			Lost his marbles.
			The lights are on but nobody's home.
			Not playing with a full deck.

Please mail all responses as our news connection is real flaky.  Thanks
and I will post a summary.


-- 

	Chris Grevstad
	{ihnp4,noao,mcnc,utah-cs}!arizona!byucsa!chris

	If things don't change they will probably remain the same.

mgv@duke.UUCP (Marco G. Valtorta) (02/12/85)

	My wife suggests the following idioms:
half-baked; luny; nuttier than a fruitcake; out to lunch.

					Marco

steiny@scc.UUCP (Don Steiny) (02/15/85)

**

	I tried to respond by mail, but no luck:

	He or she is:

	    one brick shy of a load.
	    not rowing with both oars in the water.

-- 
scc!steiny
Don Steiny - Personetics @ (408) 425-0382    ihnp4!pesnta   -\
109 Torrey Pine Terr.                        ucbvax!twg     --> scc!steiny
Santa Cruz, Calif. 95060                     fortune!idsvax -/

shor@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP (Melinda Shore) (02/17/85)

Another one that's not bad is "not firing on all four cylinders."

-- 
Melinda Shore, Microcomputer Laboratory
University of Chicago Computation Center
uucp:     ihnp4!gargoyle!sphinx!shor
Mailnet:  staff.melinda@UChicago.Mailnet
Bitnet:	  shor%sphinx@uchicago.bitnet
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jeff@rtech.ARPA (Jeff Lichtman) (02/19/85)

> .
> 
> 	I am interested (for my own bizarre reasons!) in compiling a list
> of phrases indicating that someone is crazy.
> 
> Please mail all responses as our news connection is real flaky.  Thanks
> and I will post a summary.
> 
> 
> 	Chris Grevstad

I tried mailing this to you, but it didn't work.  Hope you see this, Chris.

Here are some contributions to your list of terms describing crazyness:

	nuts
	his elevator doesn't go all the way to the top
	not all there
	space case
	driving with two wheels in the sand
	half a brick short of a full load
	running on empty
	bats in the belfry
	about fifteen cents short
	looney
	bananas
	loco
	out to lunch
	a little off
-- 
Jeff Lichtman at rtech (Relational Technology, Inc.)
aka Swazoo Koolak

ellen@ucla-cs.UUCP (02/19/85)

"Loony" is NOT a particularly idiomatic word.  it's roots go back to the
Latin for "moon" ("luna"), because, at certain times, it was believed that
those under the influence of the moon did not behave in a normal way.  there
is, in fact, data to suggest that this is the truth, however i'm
	going bonkers
with work right now, and don't have my resources handy, and later i'll be 
	out to lunch!

	  ///|\\\
         ///   \\\
        //{o} {o}\\
        ll   "   ll
        'll  ~  ll`
         lll   lll 
         '''   ``` 

hrs@homxb.UUCP (H.SILBIGER) (02/22/85)

Bad chip!

mag@gitpyr.UUCP (Mark A. Gravitt) (02/24/85)

My two favourite expressions are:

"He's not playing with a full deck"

"No, he is playing with a full deck --- 52 Jokers"
(Card purists can, of course, change that to 54 Jokers...)
-- 
Mark A. Gravitt                                    | "You, therefore, love one
User Assistant                                     | another and in patient
Office of Computing Services                       | endurance conceal one 
Georgia Institute of Technology                    | another's shortcomings."
Atlanta, GA                                        | [Testament of Joseph 17:2]
  
..!{akgua, allegra, amd, hplabs, ihnp4, masscomp, ut-ngp}gatech!gitpyr!mag
..!{rlgvax, sb1, uf-cgrl, unmvax, ut-sally}!gatech!gitpyr!mag

ron@brl-tgr.ARPA (Ron Natalie <ron>) (02/27/85)

> 
> My two favourite expressions are:
> 
> "He's not playing with a full deck"
> 
> "No, he is playing with a full deck --- 52 Jokers"
> (Card purists can, of course, change that to 54 Jokers...)

Personally, I'm playing poker with a pinochle deck.

-Ron

neal@denelvx.UUCP (Neal Weidenhofer) (04/22/85)

> Another one that's not bad is "not firing on all four cylinders."

It used to be			  "    "    "   "  eight    "

My gawd, what have the Ay-rabs done to us? :-)

I also like "lost his marbles"


			Regards,
				Neal Weidenhofer
"Blame it on the Rolling	Denelcor, Inc.
	Stones"			<hao|csu-cs|brl-bmd>!denelcor!neal