Synonyms for basket case


Grammar : Noun


Définition of basket case

Origin :
  • 1919, American English, originally a reference to rumors of quadriplegics as a result of catastrophic wounds suffered in World War I (the military vehemently denied there were any such in its hospitals), from basket (n.) + case (n.2). Probably literal, i.e., stuck in a basket, but basket had colloquial connotations of poverty (begging) and helplessness long before this. Figurative sense of "person emotionally unable to cope" is from 1921.
  • noun nervous person
Example sentences :
  • Poor Otto ended up a basket case, just in time to have the damned stuff start all over again at the stumps of his arms and legs.
  • Extract from : « Highways in Hiding » by George Oliver Smith

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Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019