Dictionary

full deckism en · NOUN

Etymology

After such phrases as not playing with a full deck and a few cards short of a deck, + -ism.

Meanings

1. A word or phrase used to euphemistically refer to the crazy or deranged state of another person.
   • A currently popular pattern of insult humor is the "Full Deckism," named from the cliche, "He's not playing with a full deck." 2000, Alleen Pace Nilsen, Don Lee Fred Nilsen, Encyclopedia of 20th-century American Humor, page 244:
   • The next time you need to make this point try using a "full deckism." Full deckisms are euphemisms for saying that people are stupid or illogical — that they're "not playing with a full deck." 1996, Malcolm L. Kushner, Successful Presentations for Dummies, page 332:

Forms