bats


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bats

 (băts)
adj. Slang
Mentally deranged; crazy.

[From bats in the belfry.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

bats

(bæts)
adj
informal crazy; very eccentric
[from bats-in-the-belfry (sense 2)]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

bats

(bæts)

adj.
Slang. insane; crazy.
[1915–20; appar. bat2 + -s3]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Adj.1.bats - informal or slang terms for mentally irregularbats - informal or slang terms for mentally irregular; "it used to drive my husband balmy"
insane - afflicted with or characteristic of mental derangement; "was declared insane"; "insane laughter"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations

bats

adj pred (inf)bekloppt (inf); you must be batsdu spinnst wohl! (inf)
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
References in classic literature ?
"It is a raid by vampire bats!" was all Tom and Ned could distinguish.
Winter and Johnson carry out their bats, and, it being a one day's match, the Lord's men are declared the winners, they having scored the most in the first innings.
Under the roof vast knots of bats had packed themselves together, thousands in a bunch; the lights disturbed the creat- ures and they came flocking down by hundreds, squeaking and darting furiously at the candles.
Now look at the Galeopithecus or flying lemur, which formerly was falsely ranked amongst bats. It has an extremely wide flank-membrane, stretching from the corners of the jaw to the tail, and including the limbs and the elongated fingers: the flank membrane is, also, furnished with an extensor muscle.
The bats had ceased to beat their wings about the ruin.
He looked at the old shops, still there, still selling the same things; the booksellers with school-books, pious works, and the latest novels in one window and photographs of the Cathedral and of the city in the other; the games shop, with its cricket bats, fishing tackle, tennis rackets, and footballs; the tailor from whom he had got clothes all through his boyhood; and the fishmonger where his uncle whenever he came to Tercanbury bought fish.
SUSPICIONS amongst thoughts, are like bats amongst birds, they ever fly by twilight.
A BAT who fell upon the ground and was caught by a Weasel pleaded to be spared his life.
The scandals of the past few years have at last moved the yachting world to concerted action in regard to "bat" boat racing.
We could not exactly pitch stumps, for they are forbidden in the Gardens, but there are trees here and there which have chalk-marks on them throughout the summer, and when you take up your position with a bat near one of these you have really pitched stumps.
There are no mice in the air, I'm afraid, but you might catch a bat, and that's very like a mouse, you know.
All the talk we ever have heard Uttered by bat or beast or bird-- Hide or fin or scale or feather-- Jabber it quickly and all together!