cockbrained idea
- noun
- /ˈkɑkˌbreɪnd aɪˈdiə/
- Archaic
:
idea absurda
- Launching such a risky campaign was a truly cockbrained idea.
Examples
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Her plan to quit her job and travel the world without saving any money was a complete cockbrained idea.
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She dismissed his cockbrained idea without a second thought.
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That cockbrained idea is not going to work.
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That was a ridiculous cockbrained idea!
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I can't believe you suggested such a cockbrained idea.
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He realized that proposing to build a rollercoaster in their backyard was a cockbrained idea.
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Suggesting they go swimming in a freezing lake in winter was definitely a cockbrained idea.
Synonyms
A silly idea that shows little thought
A very silly or crazy idea
A silly, creative idea that would not work in real life
An idea that seems a little crazy
A silly, impractical thought or suggestion
An idea that seems crazy or very unusual
An idea that is strange and unlikely to work
A strange, unrealistic idea that seems silly to most people
A very strange thought or plan that seems extreme
A small, unimportant idea that has no practical use
An unimportant suggestion that people do not take seriously
A very bad idea
Antonyms
How Foolish
Surface Forms
Morphology
cockbrained + idea
The adjective 'cockbrained' is a metaphorical composition of 'cock' + 'brained' that could suggest a foolish or ill‑judged mind, so a learner who knows the constituents might infer a sense of foolishness. However the term is archaic/rare and the metaphorical mapping (why a 'cock' implies foolishness) is not a productive, cross‑linguistic pattern, so its precise sense is not reliably predictable for a B1 learner without prior exposure.
Etymology
The phrase cockbrained idea may come from the image of a rooster (a cock) tilting its head, so the brained part suggests a twisted or wrong head. So a cockbrained idea means a 'foolish' or silly plan.