27 Idioms for Crazy: Expressions of Madness

Idioms, in particular, add flavor to our everyday conversations. In this article, we will delve into idioms for crazy—phrases that creatively describe someone’s mental state when they’re acting in an unusual or erratic manner.

These idioms may sound odd, but they’re widely used to add a touch of humor or emphasis to our language.

What is an idiom for crazy?

Idioms are phrases that don’t mean exactly what their individual words suggest. Instead, they have a figurative or symbolic meaning.

When we say someone is “crazy as a loon,” we’re not implying they have the characteristics of a bird.

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Created by Dr. Julia Rossi

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1 / 20

What is a simile?

A) A comparison using "like" or "as".

B) A direct comparison without using "like" or "as".

C) An exaggerated statement.

D) A figure of speech that gives human qualities to non-human things.

2 / 20

Identify the simile in the following sentence: “She swims like a fish.”

A) She swims

B) like a fish

C) swims like

D) a fish

3 / 20

What is a metaphor?

A) A comparison that uses "like" or "as".

B) A direct comparison that does not use "like" or "as".

C) An expression that means something other than the literal meanings of its words.

D) A word that sounds like its meaning.

4 / 20

Which of the following is a metaphor?

A) He is as brave as a lion.

B) Her tears were a river flowing down her cheeks.

C) She runs like the wind.

D) He barked orders at his team.

5 / 20

What is an idiom?

A) A literal expression.

B) A comparison using "like" or "as".

C) A group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words.

D) A direct comparison without using "like" or "as".

6 / 20

What does the idiom “break the ice” mean?

A) To literally break ice.

B) To start a conversation in a social setting.

C) To cool down a situation.

D) To freeze something quickly.

7 / 20

What is an adjective?

A) A word that describes or modifies a noun.

B) A word that shows action.

C) A word that replaces a noun.

D) A word that connects words together.

8 / 20

Choose the adjective in the following sentence: “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.”

A) quick, brown

B) jumps

C) over

D) dog

9 / 20

What is an abbreviation?

A) A shortened form of a word or phrase.

B) A long form of a word.

C) A word used to describe another word.

D) A word used in place of a noun.

10 / 20

What does the abbreviation “e.g.” stand for?

A) End game

B) Exempli gratia (for example)

C) Ergo (therefore)

Estimated guess

11 / 20

What is a verb?

A) A word that describes a noun.

B) A word that indicates action, occurrence, or existence.

C) A word that connects two parts of a sentence.

D) A word that modifies a verb.

12 / 20

Identify the verb in the following sentence: “The cat sleeps on the sofa.”

A) The

B) cat

C) sleeps

D) sofa

13 / 20

“Out of the frying pan into the fire” is an example of:

A) A simile.

B) A metaphor.

C) An idiom.

D) An adjective.

14 / 20

Which of the following is an adjective?

A) Quickly

B) Beautiful

C) Run

D) Under

15 / 20

The abbreviation “NASA” stands for:

A) National Aeronautics and Space Administration

B) North American Space Agency

C) National Association of Space Astronauts

D) None of the above

16 / 20

Choose the metaphor in the following sentence: “Time is a thief.”

A) Time

B) is

C) a thief

D) None of the above

17 / 20

What does the idiom “hit the books” mean?

A) To physically hit books.

B) To start studying.

C) To write a book.

D) To organize books on a shelf.

18 / 20

Which of the following sentences contains a simile?

A) He is a shining star.

B) She danced like there was no tomorrow.

C) Life is a rollercoaster.

D) They moved mountains to be together.

19 / 20

“LOL” is an abbreviation for:

A) Lots Of Love

B) Little Old Lady

C) Long Overdue Library-book

D) Laugh Out Loud

20 / 20

Identify the verb in this sentence: “They whispered secrets into the night.”

A) They

B) secrets

C) whispered

D) night

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Instead, we’re using the idiom to suggest that the person’s behavior is eccentric or irrational. Let’s explore some idioms for crazy and what they mean:

Describing someone as crazy is like saying they have a mind that’s a tangled maze with no map. For more comparisons to describe someone as crazy, you can check this link: Similes for crazy. And if you want to explore other metaphors for craziness, you can visit this link: Metaphors for crazy.

Idioms for Crazy

1. Off one’s rocker

Meaning: To be mentally unstable or insane.

In a Sentence: After hearing his wild conspiracy theories, some people thought he was off his rocker.

2. Mad as a hatter

Meaning: Completely crazy or insane.

In a Sentence: His obsession with collecting rubber ducks made him seem as mad as a hatter.

3. Crazy as a loon

Meaning: Extremely eccentric or irrational.

In a Sentence: Her insistence on wearing mismatched socks made her appear as crazy as a loon.

4. Nutty as a fruitcake

Meaning: Extremely eccentric or irrational, often used humorously.

In a Sentence: The comedian’s jokes were as nutty as a fruitcake, leaving the audience in stitches.

5. Bonkers

Meaning: Acting irrationally or insane.

In a Sentence: When the amusement park ride suddenly stopped, some riders went bonkers with fear.

6. Loony tunes

Meaning: To be mentally unstable or acting crazy.

In a Sentence: His obsession with conspiracy theories made him sound like he was listening to loony tunes.

7. Bat out of hell

Meaning: To act impulsively and without restraint.

In a Sentence: When he saw the spider, he ran out of the room like a bat out of hell.

8. Wacko

Meaning: Someone who is eccentric or mentally unstable.

In a Sentence: Some people thought the artist’s unconventional paintings were the work of a wacko.

9. Nuts

Meaning: To be crazy or irrational.

In a Sentence: Her decision to quit her job and travel the world seemed a bit nuts to her friends.

10. Cuckoo

Meaning: To be crazy or eccentric.

In a Sentence: The professor’s lectures were so confusing that students thought he was cuckoo.

11. Batty

Meaning: To be eccentric or crazy.

In a Sentence: Her fascination with collecting antique spoons made her seem a bit batty to others.

12. Loopy

Meaning: To be eccentric or mentally unstable.

In a Sentence: After staying up all night studying, he felt a bit loopy the next day.

13. Daffy

Meaning: To be eccentric or acting in a silly manner.

In a Sentence: The comedian’s daffy antics always made people laugh.

14. Crackpot

Meaning: Someone with strange or eccentric beliefs.

In a Sentence: His conspiracy theories earned him a reputation as a crackpot.

15. Deranged

Meaning: To be mentally disturbed or insane.

In a Sentence: The criminal’s actions were so brutal that people considered him deranged.

16. Unhinged

Meaning: To be mentally unstable or emotionally disturbed.

In a Sentence: Her emotional outbursts made her seem unhinged at times.

17. Out of one’s mind

Meaning: To be insane or irrational.

In a Sentence: After the traumatic event, she felt like she was out of her mind.

18. A few sandwiches short of a picnic

Meaning: To be mentally deficient or lacking intelligence.

In a Sentence: His attempts to fix the broken computer left everyone thinking he was a few sandwiches short of a picnic.

19. Not playing with a full deck

Meaning: To lack intelligence or rationality.

In a Sentence: Some people believed that the politician wasn’t playing with a full deck after his bizarre statements.

20. One card short of a full deck

Meaning: To be eccentric or mentally unstable.

In a Sentence: His obsession with counting his money made him appear one card short of a full deck.

21. Lost one’s marbles

Meaning: To become mentally unstable or lose one’s mind.

In a Sentence: After the accident, he felt like he had lost his marbles.

22. Round the bend

Meaning: To be eccentric or losing one’s sanity.

In a Sentence: Her insistence on believing in aliens had some people thinking she was round the bend.

23. Up the wall

Meaning: To be extremely frustrated or irritated.

In a Sentence: The constant noise from the construction site drove the neighbors up the wall.

24. On the brink

Meaning: To be on the edge of a crisis or mental breakdown.

In a Sentence: The stress of the exam pushed some students to the brink.

25. Out to lunch

Meaning: To be absent-minded or behaving strangely.

In a Sentence: His forgetfulness and absent-mindedness made some think he was out to lunch.

26. In a world of their own

Meaning: To be disconnected from reality and lost in one’s thoughts.

In a Sentence: When she’s painting, she’s in a world of her own, unaware of her surroundings.

27. In the loony bin

Meaning: To be in a psychiatric hospital or mentally unstable.

In a Sentence: After a breakdown, she spent some time in the loony bin to receive treatment.

Quizzes About The Idioms in The Article

Quiz 1:

Question: What does the idiom “Mad as a hatter” mean?

1. To be angry at a hatter.
2. To be completely crazy or insane.
3. To dislike hats.

Answer: 2. To be completely crazy or insane.

Quiz 2:

Question: What is the meaning of the idiom “Nuts as a fruitcake”?

1. To be a fruitcake made of nuts.
2. To be extremely eccentric or irrational, often used humorously.
3. To enjoy eating fruitcakes.

Answer: 2. To be extremely eccentric or irrational, often used humorously.

Quiz 3:

Question: When someone is “Out of one’s mind,” what does it imply?

1. They have exceptional intelligence.
2. They are absent-minded.
3. They are insane or irrational.

Answer: 3. They are insane or irrational.

Quiz 4:

Question: What does the idiom “A few sandwiches short of a picnic” suggest?

1. To be very hungry.
2. To lack intelligence or rationality.
3. To be a picnic enthusiast.

Answer: 2. To lack intelligence or rationality.

Quiz 5:

Question: What does “On the brink” mean in the context of the idiom?

1. On the edge of a crisis or mental breakdown.
2. On the edge of a river.
3. On the edge of a building.

Answer: 1. On the edge of a crisis or mental breakdown.

Quiz 6:

Question: How is the idiom “Batty” typically used?

1. To describe someone who is very athletic.
2. To indicate eccentric or crazy behavior.
3. To compliment someone on their intelligence.

Answer: 2. To indicate eccentric or crazy behavior.

Quiz 7:

Question: What does “Out to lunch” imply in the context of the idiom?

1. Going out for a meal.
2. Being absent-minded or behaving strangely.
3. Taking a break from work.

Answer: 2. Being absent-minded or behaving strangely.

Quiz 8:

Question: What is the meaning of “Round the bend” in the idiom?

1. To travel in a circular path.
2. To be eccentric or losing one’s sanity.
3. To bend an object into a circular shape.

Answer: 2. To be eccentric or losing one’s sanity.

Quiz 9:

Question: How is the idiom “Lost one’s marbles” used?

1. To describe someone who collects marbles.
2. To indicate someone is emotionally stable.
3. To suggest someone has become mentally unstable or lost their mind.

Answer: 3. To suggest someone has become mentally unstable or lost their mind.

Quiz 10:

Question: What does “In the loony bin” mean in the context of the idiom?

1. Being in a place filled with laughter.
2. To be in a psychiatric hospital or mentally unstable.
3. To be in a place with a lot of crazy people.

Answer: 2. To be in a psychiatric hospital or mentally unstable.

Conclusion

These idioms for crazy may seem unusual, but they add a touch of color and humor to our language. While they describe eccentric or irrational behavior, it’s important to remember that mental health is a serious matter.