Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

have bats in one's belfry

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.53 in modern English

Syllables: have -bat-s in one's -bel-fry
IPA

36

Scrabble Score

20

Letters

5

Syllables

14

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To be crazy or eccentric.

Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

"Anyone declaring himself Emperor of San Francisco probably had bats in his belfry."
"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."
""That's sane," he replied mechanically. "I figured all along there were no bats in your belfry.""

Etymology

1899, from tendency of bats to fly around erratically, with “belfry” indicating “head, mind”.

Usage

Intransitive verb

Inflected Forms

has bats in one's belfry (present, singular) having bats in one's belfry (participle, present) had bats in one's belfry (participle, past) had bats in one's belfry (past) have bats in the belfry (alternative)

Derived Forms

batshit batty

Questions

What does have bats in one's belfry mean?: To be crazy or eccentric.
Where does have bats in one's belfry come from?: 1899, from tendency of bats to fly around erratically, with “belfry” indicating “head, mind”.

How to pronounce have bats in one's belfry

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