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Glite Dictionary
three stops short of

three stops short of

9.9
A little bit crazy and not thinking clearly
  • idiom
  • Offensive
: tarado
  • He must be three stops short of common sense to try that.

Examples

  • I think she's three stops short of sane.

  • He's three stops short of a full deck!

  • If you believe that rumor, you're three stops short of making sense.

  • She acts like she's three stops short of the end of the line sometimes.

  • He must be three stops short of common sense to try that.

  • If you believe that rumor, you're three stops short of making sense.

  • I think she's three stops short of sane.

Synonyms

wacky
vsthree stops short of
  • Informal
100 5.9

Odd in a funny or silly way

is less playful and leans toward plain eccentricity
nutty
vsthree stops short of
  • Informal
64 7.2

Being a little crazy in a funny or strange way

uses a softer descriptive tone rather than blunt slang
bonkers
vsthree stops short of
  • Informal
28 8.0

Acting or feeling very strange

is less extreme, indicating only slight or moderate oddity
kooky
vsthree stops short of
  • Informal
25 8.0

Slightly strange in a funny, pleasant way

is less playful and more neutral about the oddity
flaky
vsthree stops short of
  • Informal
12 5.9

Being a bit strange in behavior or appearance

is milder and focuses on quirky character rather than unreliability
batty
vsthree stops short of
  • Offensive
11 8.4

Slightly strange in the way a person thinks or behaves

is more neutral and less judgmental in tone
cracked
vsthree stops short of
  • Offensive
7 7.4

Someone who acts a little crazy

is more about odd behaviour than clinical illness
whacky
vsthree stops short of
  • Informal
4 7.7

Funny in a strange or silly way

is more sober and suggests real eccentric traits
not right in the head
vsthree stops short of
  • Offensive
3 9.1

Showing poor judgment or not thinking clearly

is milder and points to eccentricity rather than instability
dotty
vsthree stops short of
  • Informal
2 8.5

Someone who behaves in a slightly strange or silly way

is used for quirky charm rather than mental disorder
half-crazed
vsthree stops short of
2 7.8

Very frightened or upset and not thinking clearly

is much milder and implies only slight eccentricity
nutty as a fruitcake
vsthree stops short of
  • Informal
1 9.0

Very strange and silly in a way that seems crazy

is far milder and denotes only slight craziness or oddness
meshugana
vsthree stops short of
  • Offensive
1 9.9

Very silly or clearly crazy

is much milder and points to slight eccentricity not wildness
balmy
vsthree stops short of
  • Offensive
1 8.4

Being a little crazy or foolish

is more neutral and not necessarily friendly
meshugga
vsthree stops short of
  • Slang
1 9.9

Acting very silly and not thinking clearly

is milder and suggests eccentricity more than clear irrationality
crankish
vsthree stops short of
1 8.9

Acting in a strange, unusual way that others find odd

is broader, covering mild eccentric traits beyond behaviour
a bit tetched
vsthree stops short of
  • Slang
9.9

A little strange in a harmless, friendly way

is less playful and may read as genuine eccentricity
a bit loony
vsthree stops short of
  • Offensive
8.9

A little strange and silly

is similar but not necessarily playful or silly
ostrobogulous
vsthree stops short of
  • NSFW
9.9

Strange and sometimes a little shocking

is milder and not typically absurd or risque

Antonyms

sane
130 3.2

Having a healthy mind and able to think clearly

How Crazy

crazy
  • Slur
53 7.2
three stops short of
  • Offensive
9.9
eccentric
10 7.0
odd
878 1.0
sane
130 3.2

Surface Forms

three stops short of main

Morphology

three + stop + short + of

The meaning 'not completely sane' is idiomatic and not compositionally derivable from 'three', 'stop(s)', 'short' and 'of'; the phrase depends on a colloquial metaphor (as in 'not a full deck') rather than literal counting or stopping. A B1 learner who knows the constituent words would not predict this evaluative, culture-specific sense without prior exposure.

Etymology

Three stops short of comes from the image of a bus or tram that stops three times before the final stop, so it never reaches the end. That's why saying someone is three stops short of 'making sense' means they are missing a few steps of thought and are not completely 'sane'.