total whackjob
- noun
- Offensive
:
loco
- Everyone at the meeting thought he was a total whackjob for his bizarre ideas.
Examples
-
My sister says the new neighbor is a total whackjob because he talks to his plants.
-
Nobody takes her advice seriously, since most people think she's a total whackjob.
-
He's a total whackjob!
-
I can't believe she thinks that; she's a total whackjob.
-
Everyone at the meeting thought he was a total whackjob for his bizarre ideas.
-
My sister says the new neighbor is a total whackjob because he talks to his plants.
-
Nobody takes her advice seriously, since most people think she's a total whackjob.
Synonyms
149
8.1
A person who behaves wildly and dangerously and may hurt others
119
7.0
A person who acts in a strange or unusual way
95
6.4
A man who acts very strangely or dangerously and may be mentally ill
52
8.6
A person who behaves very strangely and may be dangerous
51
6.2
A person who acts in a wild or reckless way
40
8.2
A person who has strange or unrealistic ideas
35
8.8
A person who behaves in a very strange or wild way
14
9.7
A person who behaves in strange or silly ways
5
8.5
A person who acts silly or strange to make others laugh
4
8.6
A person who acts in a silly or strange way
3
7.9
A person who acts violently and without control
3
9.9
A person who acts foolishly or oddly
2
9.1
A person who acts in a very angry, dangerous, or unpredictable way
1
8.8
A person who acts in a way that seems crazy
1
9.1
An insulting word for a person who acts very silly or strange
A person who behaves in a wild or strange way
How Crazy
Surface Forms
Morphology
total + whackjob
The noun 'whackjob' is colloquial/slang whose meaning 'a crazy person' cannot be derived from the literal parts 'whack' (to hit) and 'job' (work), while 'total' only functions as an intensifier. An average B1 learner who knows the literal constituent meanings would not predict the idiomatic sense, so the expression is unpredictable and language-specific.
Etymology
The expression total whackjob comes from a simple image: whack means a hard 'hit' and job can mean a 'person', so people imagined someone 'whacked' in the head and acting strange. That's why it now means 'completely crazy'.