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Glite Dictionary
nutso idea

nutso idea

9.3
An idea that seems crazy or very unusual
  • noun
  • Slang
translation icon : idea loca
  • She keeps coming up with nutso ideas that nobody else would even consider.

Examples

  • That was a nutso idea, but it turned out to be a big success.

  • You came all this way in the snow for your friend, and you actually think I'm gonna text Santa Claus with this nutso idea?

    Click, Clack, Moo: Christmas at the Farm (2017)

  • They dismissed his nutso idea at first, but later realized its value.

Synonyms

moonbatty idea
vsnutso idea
  • Slang
9.9

An idea that is strange and unlikely to work

emphasizes wild unconventionality rather than being simply unrealistic
wackadoodle idea
vsnutso idea
  • Slang
9.7

A strange, unrealistic idea that seems silly to most people

leans more toward craziness and eccentricity than technical unconventionality
wingnutty idea
vsnutso idea
  • Slang
9.9

A very strange thought or plan that seems extreme

is wildly unconventional but not necessarily extremely bizarre
loony tune
vsnutso idea
  • Slang
9.7

A very silly or crazy idea

focuses on eccentric or unconventional quality rather than pure nonsense
batty idea
vsnutso idea
  • Informal
8.8

An idea that seems a little crazy

means wild unconventionality rather than only mild or slight absurdity
cockbrained idea
vsnutso idea
  • Archaic
9.9

A foolish idea that probably will not work

refers to eccentric or unconventional thinking rather than plain foolishness

Antonyms

sensible
201 2.7

Showing good judgment and making practical choices

How Unconventional

wackadoodle idea
  • Slang
9.7
nutso idea
  • Slang
9.3
cockbrained idea
  • Archaic
9.9
batty idea
  • Informal
8.8

Surface Forms

nutso idea singular
nutso ideas plural

Morphology

nutso + idea

The adjective 'nutso' (crazy, silly) combined with 'idea' (suggestion) yields a directly compositional meaning 'crazy idea' that a learner who knows both words can infer. This Adj+N pattern is a standard, predictable construction and therefore immediately transparent to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Nutso idea comes from calling someone a nut, an informal word for a 'crazy' person, with '-so' added to make it stronger, so you picture an idea so wild only a 'nut' would have. That's why nutso idea means 'a crazy, eccentric, or wildly unconventional idea'.