have bats in one's belfry
To be crazy or eccentricTo be crazy or eccentric.
» How can you have a belfry without bats?
Wie könnt ihr einen Glockenturm ohne Fledermäuse haben?
Разве бывают колокольни без летучих мышей?
Хіба бувають дзвіниці без кажанів?
Meaning
1 senses(idiomatic)To be crazy or eccentric.
Anyone declaring himself Emperor of San Francisco probably had bats in his belfry.
nicht alle Tassen im Schrank haben
винтика в голове не хватаетvintika v golove ne xvatajet, кры́ша пое́халаkrýša pojéxala, не все домаne vse doma
Examples
2 sentencesHow can you have a belfry without bats?
Хіба бувають дзвіниці без кажанів? — deniko
ruРазве бывают колокольни без летучих мышей? — shanghainese
deWie könnt ihr einen Glockenturm ohne Fledermäuse haben? — Esperantostern
He has bats in the belfry.
ruУ него не все дома. — paul_lingvo
deDer hat einen an der Waffel. — hjoest
Translations
6 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
Origin
1899, from tendency of bats to fly around erratically, with “belfry” indicating “head, min1899, from tendency of bats to fly around erratically, with “belfry” indicating “head, mind”.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
has bats in one's belfry, having bats in one's belfry, had bats in one's belfry, had bats in one's belfry| Base form | have bats in one's belfry · to have bats in one's belfry |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | has bats in one's belfry |
| Present participle | having bats in one's belfry |
| Past simple | had bats in one's belfry |
| Past participle | had bats in one's belfry |
irregular · Lesson
Present simpleLesson
| I, you, we, they | have bats in one's belfry |
| he, she, it | has bats in one's belfry |
Past simpleLesson
| all persons | had bats in one's belfry |
Present perfectLesson
| I, you, we, they | have had bats in one's belfry |
| he, she, it | has had bats in one's belfry |
Future simple (will)Lesson
| all persons | will have bats in one's belfry |
Word family
1 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, irregular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle