go bananas

Idioms and Phrases

Act crazy, as in When it comes to animal rights, some people go bananas . According to the lexicographer J. E. Lighter, this expression may allude to the similar go ape , in that apes and other primates are closely associated with eating bananas. [ Slang ; second half of 1900s]

Example Sentences

Across the lawn, demonstrators carried signs that ranged from a handmade “Free Hugs Jewish Students” to pre-printed “I go bananas for Israel” — a taunt aimed at reports of someone with a banana allergy in the pro-Palestinian encampment.

From Los Angeles Times

Confession: I don’t always go bananas for depictions of food in art, but April brings a smattering of excellent and tasty shows.

From Seattle Times

“Yet it’s not cluttered up; it’s streamlined and simple. Whatever we did was going to be seen in that opening shot of the train going through Asteroid City, so we couldn’t go bananas and let any part of it get too big and out of control.”

From Los Angeles Times

Ms. Haley, at long last—are you going to go bananas, or not?

From Slate

The crowd's going to go bananas.

From BBC

Related Words

• babble
• freak out
• fume
• go crazy
• rant