have bats in one's belfry

bat

H h

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [bat]
- /hæv bæts ɪn wʌnz ˈbɛl fri/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [bat]
- /hæv bæts ɪn wʌnz ˈbɛl fri/

Definitions of have bats in one's belfry words

noun have bats in one's belfry any of numerous flying mammals of the order Chiroptera, of worldwide distribution in tropical and temperate regions, having modified forelimbs that serve as wings and are covered with a membranous skin extending to the hind limbs. 1
idioms have bats in one's belfry blind as a bat, nearly or completely blind; having very poor vision: Anyone can tell that he's blind as a bat, but he won't wear glasses. 1
idioms have bats in one's belfry have bats in one's belfry, Informal. to have crazy ideas; be very peculiar, erratic, or foolish: If you think you can row across the ocean in that boat, you have bats in your belfry. 1
verb have bats in one's belfry (Idiomatic) VI To be crazy or eccentric. 0

See all 4 definitions of have bats in one's belfry

Information block about the term

Origin of have bats in one's belfry

First appearance:

before 1570

One of the 33% oldest English words

1570-75; apparently < Scandinavian; compare dialectal Swedish natt-batta, variant of Old Swedish natt-bakka night-bat; replacing Middle English bakke (< Scand), Middle English balke for *blake < Scandinavian; compare dialectal Swedish natt-blacka

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Have bats in one's belfry

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Have bats in one's belfry

have bats in one's belfry popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 99% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

Matching words

Was this page helpful?

Yes No

Thank you for your feedback! Tell your friends about this page

Tell us why?