English

Alternative forms

• have bats in the belfry

Verb

have bats in one's belfry

1. (idiomatic, intransitive) To be crazy or eccentric.

   Anyone declaring himself Emperor of San Francisco probably had bats in his belfry.

   • 1900, Mary Etta Stickney, Brown of Lost River, p254

     You would certainly take the prize for bats in the belfry!--flying off on a wild-goose chase across a country where even the geese need a compass to keep to the course.

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:insane

Derived terms

• batshit
• batty

Translations

References

1. ↑ “batty” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary (2001).