bats-in-the-belfry

noun

1. a hairy Eurasian campanulaceous plant, Campanula trachelium , with bell-shaped blue-purple flowers

adjective

1. slang.
   mad; demented

Example Sentences

“Making whoopee” and “bats in the belfry” were deemed passé phrases.

From New York Times

“I think McDonald’s should be encouraged to include a little toy bat in their Happy Meals. People make light of this and think I have a lot of bats in the belfry, but the point is that this is important to draw more awareness to things that we take for granted in our environment.”

From Washington Times

The phrase "bats in the belfry" can make the guardians of centuries-old churches in Britain shiver with anxiety, as bat urine dripping from the rafters is guaranteed to empty the pews for Sunday services.

From Seattle Times

There is not much out of the ordinary in either the premise or the solution, but Innes' plot prestidigitation is as deft as ever, and his celebrated sense of humor is in full flood, whether sketching a social-climbing mother or recounting a literal manifestation of bats in the belfry of a parish church.

From Time Magazine Archive

He's got a bad case of bats in the belfry, believe me.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• insane
• kooky
• mad
• nuts
• nutty
• silly
• wacky