have bats in one's belfry
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
1899,[1] from tendency of bats to fly around erratically, with “belfry” indicating “head, mind”.
Verb
- (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, page 254:
- 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 Thesaurus:insane
Derived terms
Translations
to be crazy or eccentric
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References
- ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “batty”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.