bat-shit crazy

Meanings

1. 1adjectivenot comparablevulgarslanginformal

   completely crazy or extremely strange, used for emphasis in very informal speech.

   Grammar: Used after a linking verb or before a noun, like a normal adjective: He went bat-shit crazy. A bat-shit crazy idea.

   Patterns

   • go bat-shit crazy
   • be bat-shit crazy
   • a bat-shit crazy idea

   When the team lost the final, my uncle went bat-shit crazy and threw his hat at the TV.

   She had this bat-shit crazy plan to sell everything and live on a boat.

   Everyone thought I was bat-shit crazy for running a marathon in the rain.

2. 2adverbvulgarslanginformal

   used before an adjective to mean extremely, in very informal speech.

   Grammar: Used like very or really before an adjective: bat-shit crazy, bat-shit insane.

   Patterns

   • bat-shit crazy
   • bat-shit insane

   That movie was bat-shit crazy weird, but I loved it.

   He gets bat-shit angry when someone touches his tools.

Common combinations

go bat-shit crazy

My dad went bat-shit crazy when he saw the phone bill.

bat-shit crazy idea

It was a bat-shit crazy idea, but it actually worked.

drive someone bat-shit crazy

That dripping tap is driving me bat-shit crazy.

bat-shit insane

The traffic in that city is bat-shit insane.

Synonyms and how they differ

insane

A more neutral word for mentally ill or shocking; it can be serious, while bat-shit crazy is always casual and vulgar.

nuts

Informal and less vulgar; it can mean crazy or very enthusiastic, while bat-shit crazy only means crazy.

deranged

Formal and medical-sounding; use it for serious mental illness, not for a wild party idea.

Opposites

Commonly confused: bat-shit crazy or batshit?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “bat-shit crazy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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