have bats in one's belfry en · VERB
Etymology
1899, from tendency of bats to fly around erratically, with “belfry” indicating “head, mind”.
Meanings
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(idiomatic, intransitive) To be crazy or eccentric.
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.
1900, Mary Etta Stickney, Brown of Lost River, page 254:Anyone declaring himself Emperor of San Francisco probably had bats in his belfry.
"That's sane," he replied mechanically. "I figured all along there were no bats in your belfry."
1930, Sax Rohmer, The Day the World Ended, published 1969, page xv. 136:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| has bats in one's belfry | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| have bats in the belfry | alternative | lexicographic | |
| having bats in one's belfry | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| had bats in one's belfry | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| had bats in one's belfry | Tense=Past | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Translations (18)
eo havi muŝon en la cerbo (to be crazy or eccentric) · ru не все дома (to be crazy or eccentric) · fi olla latvasta laho (to be crazy or eccentric) · fi olla häkää yliskamarissa (to be crazy or eccentric) · it essere svitato (to be crazy or eccentric) · it mancare di qualche rotella (to be crazy or eccentric) · hu nincs ki a négy kereke (to be crazy or eccentric) · es tener pájaros en la cabeza (to be crazy or eccentric) · ru сорвало ба́шню (to be crazy or eccentric) · fi olla sekaisin (to be crazy or eccentric) · fr avoir une araignée au plafond (to be crazy or eccentric) · ru винтика в голове не хватает (to be crazy or eccentric) · ru кры́ша пое́хала (to be crazy or eccentric) · da have rotter på loftet (to be crazy or eccentric) · ru шарики за ро́лики заехали (to be crazy or eccentric) · de nicht alle Tassen im Schrank haben (to be crazy or eccentric) · ca tenir un perdigó a l'ala (to be crazy or eccentric) · pl mieć nie po kolei w głowie (to be crazy or eccentric)