have bats in one's belfry

English

Alternative forms

• have bats in the belfry

Etymology

1899, from tendency of bats to fly around erratically, with “belfry” indicating “head, mind”.

Verb

have bats in one's belfry

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

   Anyone declaring himself Emperor of San Franscisco 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

To be crazy or eccentric

Finnish: olla häkää yliskamarissa (idiomatic) French: avoir une araignée au plafond (fr)

Russian: винтика в голове не хватает, крыша поехала, не все дома, сорвало башню, шарики за ролики заехали