to lose one's yarbles - Glite Dictionary

Examples

Don't lose your yarbles over this!
Sometimes, it feels like I’m losing my yarbles with all this stress.
My boss almost lost her yarbles when the project was delayed again.
She lost her yarbles after the stressful week.
After the breakup, he lost his yarbles and started acting completely out of character.
My boss almost lost her yarbles when the project was delayed again.
Sometimes, it feels like I’m losing my yarbles with all this stress.

Synonyms

to go off the deep end

vsto lose one's yarbles

Informal

15 8.1

Suddenly act in a very emotional and out of control way

refers more generally to being mentally unstable, not just sudden outburst

to go out of one's mind

vsto lose one's yarbles

Informal

14 7.3

To be unable to think clearly because you are very worried or upset

is a slang label for unstable behaviour rather than clinical distress

to come unhinged

vsto lose one's yarbles

Informal

2 8.2

To lose control of your feelings and act very upset

is broader slang for unstable or irrational acting without clinical tone

to go round the bend

vsto lose one's yarbles

UK

1 8.6

To become so angry or stressed that you cannot think clearly

is slang for irrational acting without specifying cause

to lose one's mind

vsto lose one's yarbles

Informal

1 6.7

Become very anxious, confused, or upset and act in a way that does not make sense

focuses on colloquial instability rather than stress as cause

insane in the membrane

vsto lose one's yarbles

Slang

1 9.8

Acting or feeling very silly and not thinking clearly, often as a joke

is slang that may be serious rather than primarily humorous

off one's nut

vsto lose one's yarbles

Offensive

9.9

Acting in a very strange and not sensible way

is slang for general mental instability, less vivid in tone

off one's box

vsto lose one's yarbles

Archaic

9.9

Feeling confused and out of control after drinking or when very upset

covers general slang instability without tying it to intoxication

to lose one's wits

vsto lose one's yarbles

7.9

To get very confused and unable to think clearly

implies broader irrational acting, not only loss of clear thought

to lose the run of oneself

vsto lose one's yarbles

Archaic

9.9

Act in a confused or uncontrolled way because of strong emotion

is a slang label for instability without emphasizing emotional trigger

to go into a tizzy

vsto lose one's yarbles

Informal

8.3

Get very upset and confused quickly

describes general irrational acting rather than mainly agitation or upset

How Rational

to lose one's yarbles

Archaic

9.9

to go batshit

Offensive

2 9.9

Surface Forms

lose one's yarbles infinitive

losing one's yarbles present participle

loses one's yarbles third person singular

lost one's yarbles past

lost one's yarbles past participle

Morphology

lose + one's + yarbles

The noun 'yarbles' is not a transparent or attested lexical item for learners and provides no literal sense to combine with 'lose' and 'one's', so the idiomatic meaning 'become mentally unstable' cannot be derived from the parts. Although it echoes patterns like 'lose one's marbles', the slang term is unpredictable and language-specific, making the expression non-compositional for a B1 learner.

Etymology

Lose one's yarbles is probably a playful twist on 'lose one's marbles'. One popular story says yarbles was a cheeky word for small round things and sometimes for testicles, so the image of losing them feels like losing what keeps you steady, and that's why it means 'to become mentally unstable'.