Etymology
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stir-crazy (adj.)

1908, from crazy (adj.) + stir (n.) "prison" (1851), probably from Start Newgate (1757), prison in London, later any prison (1823), probably from Romany stardo "imprisoned," related to staripen "a prison." According to Barnhart, mid-19c. sturaban, sturbin "state prison" seem to be transitional forms.

Entries linking to stir-crazy

crazy (adj.)

1570s, "diseased, sickly" (a sense now obsolete); 1580s, "broken, impaired, full of cracks or flaws," from craze + -y (2). Meaning "deranged, demented, of unsound mind or behaving as so" is from 1610s. Jazz slang sense "cool, exciting" is attested by 1927. Related: Crazily; craziness.

To drive (someone) crazy is attested by 1873. To do something like crazy "with manic vigor or frequency" is by 1905. Phrase crazy like a fox has origins by 1935. Crazy Horse, name of the Teton Lakhota (Siouan) war leader (d. 1877), translates thašuka witko, literally "his horse is crazy." Crazy-quilt (1886) preserves the original "break to pieces" sense of craze (v.). Crazy bone as an alternative to funny bone is recorded by 1853.

stir (n.)
"commotion, disturbance, tumult," late 14c. (in phrase on steir), probably from a Scandinavian source, such as Old Norse styrr "disturbance, tumult," from the same root as stir (v.)). The sense of "movement, bustle" (1560s) probably is from the English verb.

updated on October 10, 2017

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Dictionary entries near stir-crazy

stipple

stipulate

stipulation

stipule

stir

stir-crazy

stirpes

stirring

stirrup

stitch

stitchery

© 2001-2022 Douglas Harper