irrationality

(See also FRENZIEDNESS.)

beside one-self In an intensely emotional state; unable to control or contain one’s feelings; highly excited. Though one may be beside one-self with feelings ranging from pleasure to rage, the essence of the state is irrationality—being out of one’s wits. The phrase is akin to the French hors de soi, and both relate to the concepts of being possessed or transported. Caxton used the expression in the late 15th century.

coop-happy Insane from confinement; stir-crazy; punch-drunk from being cooped up. Coop ‘a confined area,’ is also a slang term for jail. Happy is used euphemistically in this phrase to mean dull-witted or “feeling no pain,” whence the term.

flip one’s lid To react wildly or enthusiastically; to be delighted or outraged; to be knocked off one’s feet or bowled over with shock; to lose one’s head. This relatively new slang phrase of American origin plays with the idea that a “lid” serves to prevent something from escaping—in this case one’s common sense and control. Thus, to “flip one’s lid” is to lose self-control, leaving one unbalanced or crazed.

Currently, flip is heard more frequently than the longer flip one’s lid.

Another variant, flip out, implies a more serious degree of losing control, as from drugs, a nervous breakdown, etc. It is analogous to freak out and go off the deep end in flavor and usage.

go bananas To go wild with excitement or rage, to act in an irrational or uncontrollable manner. The phrase supposedly comes from the chattering antics of a hungry monkey at the sight of a banana. It is nearly always used hyperbolically to indicate reason temporarily overcome by emotion; rarely would it be used to describe true mental derangement or disturbance.

go haywire See DISORDER

go off the deep end To overreact, to get inappropriately angry or excited; to go overboard, to overdo it; to go in over one’s head; to freak out. The “deep end” refers to the end of a swimming pool at which the water is deepest. Floundering unprepared and confused in the “deep end,” one is apt to behave wildly and without a sense of propriety or concern for appearances. Dating from the early 1900s, this expression most often describes emotional outbursts, including occasionally those severe enough to be classified as mental breakdown.

lose one’s head To lose one’s equilibrium or presence of mind; to be out of control, off balance, or beside one-self. The head is associated with reason, sense, and rationality. Thus, to “lose one’s head” is to become irrational and out of control. Its figurative use dates from the 1840s.

The phrase is often used to explain behavior (such as a temper tantrum or show of affection) that would otherwise be considered out of character or inappropriate.

lose one’s marbles To go crazy; to act or speak in an irrational manner. Since the early 1900s, marbles has been equated with common sense and mental faculties. Therefore, to lose one’s marbles is to lose one’s wits, especially when there has been a sudden behavioral change which manifests itself in eccentric or irrational acts or babblings.

A related expression is have some marbles missing.

mad as a hatter Crazy, insane, demented; stark raving mad; violently angry, livid, venomous. It is probable that this expression is a corruption of mad as an atter, in which after is an Anglo-Saxon variation of adder ‘viper,’ a poisonous snake. Thus, the original expression implied that a person was venomous, ready to strike with malicious intent. One source suggests that mad as a hatter may allude to the insanity and loss of muscular control caused by prolonged exposure to mercurous nitrate, a chemical once commonly used in the manufacture of felt hats. At any rate, in current usage, mad as a hatter refers to lunacy more often than to anger.

mad as a March hare Agitated, excited, worked up; frenzied, wild, erratic; rash; insane, crazy. This expression probably alludes to the behavior of hares during mating season when they thump the ground with their hind legs, and jump up and down, twisting their bodies in midair. Several sources suggest that the original expression may have been mad as a marsh hare, implying that due to lack of protective shrubbery in marshes, these hares act more wildly than others.

This expression was undoubtedly the inspiration for the March hare in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865). A common variation is wild as a March hare. The related term harebrained describes a person who is reckless or eccentric, or a plan, scheme, project, or other matter that is of dubious merit.

stir-crazy To behave neurotically as a result of long-term imprisonment; to be climbing the walls; to act dull-witted or punch-drunk from confinement. Stir is a slang term for jail or prison. Although originating as underworld lingo, stir is now fairly common, especially in the phrase stir-crazy which is no longer limited in use to prison-related neurosis. Rather, any lack of activity or temporary isolation can make one stir-crazy. The term is rarely if ever used literally —almost always hyperbolically.