(slang, potentially offensive) One made powerless or ineffective, as by nerves, panic, stress or exhaustion. Today I found out how the phrase “basket case” came to mean “someone who is insane.” At first, “basket case” didn’t mean someone who was crazy. ; Origin I see basket case as analogous to charity case, closet case, hardship case, textbook case, or nutcase. Enrich your vocabulary with the … Some countries are breadbaskets, others basket cases. What's the meaning of the phrase 'Basket case'? Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012. In the sense of “an amputee,” this term is perceived as insulting. Basket case guitar probably refer's to a guitar that is in very bad condition and does not play well. "I think the Guardian should avoid the term 'basket case'," says a reader. This originated as a phrase in World War I for soldiers who were so badly injured they had to be removed from the battleefield on a wicker litter or basket. Originating in World War I for a soldier who had lost all four limbs in combat and consequently had to be carried in a litter (“basket”), this term was then transferred to an emotionally or mentally unstable person and later to anything that failed to function. I’m sure they thought I was a complete basket case.’ Basket Case song meaning This song is a vivid description of emotional instability. "It is a shocking, distressing and distracting image. Arabic English (US) Near fluent Danish Dutch French (France) Question about English (US) What does basket case mean? Copyright © 2020 LoveToKnow. For example, The stress of moving twice in one year left her a basket case, or The republics of the former Soviet Union are economic … basket case (Noun) A country in a difficult economic or financial situation. Example Sentences. You should accept this job offer since this is your first job and that organization is a real basket case. ket case noun-informal -a person or thing regarded as useless or unable to cope. ; Knowing that he is such a basket case, how could she accept to marry him? Word forms: plural basket cases 1. countable noun If someone describes a country or organization as a basket case, they mean that its economy or … This word was widely used in the 80s. 2 a person who is slightly crazy and who has problems dealing with situations: ‘How did the interview go?’ ‘Terrible! a person who is helpless or incapable of functioning normally, especially due to overwhelming stress, anxiety, or the like. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. 1 a country or an organization whose economic situation is very bad: A few years ago, the country was an economic basket case, but now things are different. See a translation Report copyright ... What does basket case mean? A basket case (slang term) is one who's nerves are shot, their mental capacity to think and reason is diminished, they are not organized, always needing help, etc. Its common knowledge that Armstrong was suffering from anxiety and panic disorders at the time when he wrote this song: "The only way I knew how to deal with it was to write a song about it". Definition of basket case someone who can't function well due to anxiety/stress or something similar. basket case Meaning a person or a thing that is not able to function properly; a failing scheme. “The U.N. may become a more pathetic basket case than the old League of Nations after the Japanese nullified the decision on Manchuria.” In the early 1950s, the phrase came to mean “a person who is emotionally or mentally unable to cope, esp. Or do you just have an interest in foreign languages? She was a complete basket case the morning of her wedding. She was a basket case after the car wreck. Sign in; Sign up; Question Dude. Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Anything that does not function properly. 2 a person who is slightly crazy and who has problems dealing with situations: ‘How did the interview go?’ ‘Terrible! A man who became a basket case after his divorce; a country that is an economic basket case. basket case n 1. a person who is suffering from extreme nervous strain; nervous wreck 2. Synonym: emotional cripple She was a complete basket case the morning of her wedding. Learn more. So is Phoenix finally ready to drop the basket-case act and play nice in Hollywood? Basket case definition is - a person who has all four limbs amputated. INFORMAL The country is an economic basket case with chronic unemployment and rampant crime. basket case. “Affect” vs. “Effect”: Use The Correct Word Every Time. American Idiot was about how wrong our system is. 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