You never knew whether she would greet you with a smile and commend you on your good work or bite your head off for making a simple error. { bidder: 'pubmatic', params: { publisherId: '158679', adSlot: 'cdo_btmslot' }}]}]; { bidder: 'openx', params: { unit: '539971080', delDomain: 'idm-d.openx.net' }}, dfpSlots['topslot_b'] = googletag.defineSlot('/23202586/cdo_topslot', [[728, 90]], 'ad_topslot_b').defineSizeMapping(mapping_topslot_b).setTargeting('sri', '0').setTargeting('vp', 'top').setTargeting('hp', 'center').addService(googletag.pubads()); { bidder: 'ix', params: { siteId: '195467', size: [300, 250] }}, basket case (Idiom, English) a person or thing regarded as useless or unable to cope; a country or organization that is in severe financial or economic distress, … bids: [{ bidder: 'rubicon', params: { accountId: '17282', siteId: '162036', zoneId: '1666926', position: 'btf' }}, partner: "uarus31" { bidder: 'appnexus', params: { placementId: '11654156' }}, { bidder: 'appnexus', params: { placementId: '11654157' }}, "sign-out": "https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/auth/signout?rid=READER_ID" var mapping_houseslot_b = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([963, 0], []).addSize([0, 0], [300, 250]).build(); { bidder: 'sovrn', params: { tagid: '387232' }}, { bidder: 'ix', params: { siteId: '194852', size: [300, 250] }}, { bidder: 'openx', params: { unit: '539971081', delDomain: 'idm-d.openx.net' }}, { bidder: 'ix', params: { siteId: '195464', size: [160, 600] }}, { bidder: 'ix', params: { siteId: '195464', size: [120, 600] }}, 'cap': true basket case (n.) 1919, American English, originally a reference to rumors of quadriplegics as a result of catastrophic wounds suffered in World War I (the U.S. military authorities vehemently denied there were any such in its hospitals), from basket (n.) + case (n.2). bids: [{ bidder: 'rubicon', params: { accountId: '17282', siteId: '162050', zoneId: '776358', position: 'atf' }}, The actual origin of the term is very dark, however. ga('set', 'dimension2', "entry"); { bidder: 'triplelift', params: { inventoryCode: 'Cambridge_SR' }}, googletag.pubads().setTargeting("cdo_cc", "sensitive"); basket case. },{ You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics: the use of electronic devices such as smart phones, laptop computers, and tablets as teaching devices, Bubbles and a breakthrough: the language of COVID (update), Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English. { bidder: 'triplelift', params: { inventoryCode: 'Cambridge_SR' }}, Opposite Idiom about Benefits? { bidder: 'openx', params: { unit: '539971080', delDomain: 'idm-d.openx.net' }}, B 1 Thought. googletag.cmd = googletag.cmd || []; { bidder: 'pubmatic', params: { publisherId: '158679', adSlot: 'cdo_btmslot' }}]}, { bidder: 'triplelift', params: { inventoryCode: 'Cambridge_SR' }}, The term “basket case” isn’t used anymore in that original sense; it refers now to an emotionally disturbed person or an ineffective organization, nation, business, and so on. bids: [{ bidder: 'rubicon', params: { accountId: '17282', siteId: '162050', zoneId: '776336', position: 'btf' }}, { bidder: 'ix', params: { siteId: '555365', size: [300, 250] }}, googletag.pubads().setCategoryExclusion('gpw').setCategoryExclusion('lcp').setCategoryExclusion('resp').setCategoryExclusion('wprod'); googletag.pubads().setTargeting("cdo_c", ["business_financial_industrial_technology", "beauty_health_fitness", "jobs_education_resumes"]); … { bidder: 'ix', params: { siteId: '195451', size: [320, 50] }}, Improve your vocabulary with English Vocabulary in Use from Cambridge.Learn the words you need to communicate with confidence. { bidder: 'sovrn', params: { tagid: '346698' }}, filter: 'include' {code: 'ad_topslot_b', pubstack: { adUnitName: 'cdo_topslot', adUnitPath: '/23202586/cdo_topslot' }, mediaTypes: { banner: { sizes: [[728, 90]] } }, He is always throwing paper airplanes. 'max': 3, var pbMobileLrSlots = [ She would laugh maniacally while doing this, but later on, she would break down in tears and apologize. { bidder: 'criteo', params: { networkId: 7100, publisherSubId: 'cdo_topslot' }}, iasLog("setting page_url: - https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/basket-case"); What's the meaning of the phrase 'Basket case'? googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotRenderEnded', function(event) { if (!event.isEmpty && event.slot.renderCallback) { event.slot.renderCallback(event); } }); iasLog("criterion : cdo_l = en-us"); { bidder: 'criteo', params: { networkId: 7100, publisherSubId: 'cdo_btmslot' }}, },{ Idioms 5 Directions: Read each idiom and determine the meaning. { bidder: 'triplelift', params: { inventoryCode: 'Cambridge_SR' }}, Definition: So upset or stunned that one is unable to function; … Recent Idioms. Any … { bidder: 'criteo', params: { networkId: 7100, publisherSubId: 'cdo_btmslot' }}, It appears to be a modern day phrase. { bidder: 'openx', params: { unit: '539971066', delDomain: 'idm-d.openx.net' }}, An individual too impaired to function. The phrase can be used for someone who is extremely nervous. 'min': 8.50, {code: 'ad_btmslot_a', pubstack: { adUnitName: 'cdo_btmslot', adUnitPath: '/23202586/cdo_btmslot' }, mediaTypes: { banner: { sizes: [[300, 250]] } }, expires: 365 {code: 'ad_btmslot_a', pubstack: { adUnitName: 'cdo_btmslot', adUnitPath: '/23202586/cdo_btmslot' }, mediaTypes: { banner: { sizes: [[300, 250]] } }, { bidder: 'openx', params: { unit: '539971081', delDomain: 'idm-d.openx.net' }}, googletag.pubads().disableInitialLoad(); { bidder: 'pubmatic', params: { publisherId: '158679', adSlot: 'cdo_rightslot2' }}]}]; 2 : a person who is mentally incapacitated or worn out (as from nervous tension) … var pbjs = pbjs || {}; Some characteristics of a basketcase included emotional instability, weirdness, and constant isolation from mainstream society. "login": { { bidder: 'triplelift', params: { inventoryCode: 'Cambridge_Billboard' }}, {code: 'ad_topslot_a', pubstack: { adUnitName: 'cdo_topslot', adUnitPath: '/23202586/cdo_topslot' }, mediaTypes: { banner: { sizes: [[300, 50], [320, 50], [320, 100]] } }, { bidder: 'appnexus', params: { placementId: '19042093' }}, The first citation of "basket case" in the Oxford English Dictionary is in 1919, soon after the end of World War I. { bidder: 'appnexus', params: { placementId: '11654174' }}, One that caught our eye is "basket case." { bidder: 'ix', params: { siteId: '194852', size: [300, 250] }}, { bidder: 'pubmatic', params: { publisherId: '158679', adSlot: 'cdo_rightslot' }}]}, { bidder: 'openx', params: { unit: '539971065', delDomain: 'idm-d.openx.net' }}, { bidder: 'triplelift', params: { inventoryCode: 'Cambridge_HDX' }}, { bidder: 'ix', params: { siteId: '555365', size: [300, 250] }}, type: "html5", I work at a newspaper, and every year in December, we receive several unique gift baskets from surrounding businesses. A Basket Case is an idiom, meaning a state of powerlessness, crippled emotionally. type: "cookie", syncDelay: 3000 { bidder: 'pubmatic', params: { publisherId: '158679', adSlot: 'cdo_topslot' }}]}, Then, she would start torturing me. { bidder: 'ix', params: { siteId: '195467', size: [320, 50] }}, 'max': 8, { bidder: 'appnexus', params: { placementId: '11654156' }}, googletag.pubads().setTargeting("cdo_tc", "resp"); userSync: { The boss eventually fired her because she scared some clients. const customGranularity = { bids: [{ bidder: 'rubicon', params: { accountId: '17282', siteId: '162036', zoneId: '776156', position: 'atf' }}, { bidder: 'openx', params: { unit: '541042770', delDomain: 'idm-d.openx.net' }}, Wikibuy Review: A Free Tool That Saves You Time and Money, 15 Creative Ways to Save Money That Actually Work. The following is a passage from an article on the origin of the idiom basket case:. Examples of this Idiom in Movies & TV Shows: MacGyver “Deadly Silents” (1991) MacGyver: Pinky! Originally this referred to soldiers who had lost arms and legs and had to be carried by others. Starting in the 1950s, a "basket case" could be a vehicle that has missing parts or is in disrepair. { bidder: 'sovrn', params: { tagid: '446382' }}, { bidder: 'openx', params: { unit: '541042770', delDomain: 'idm-d.openx.net' }}, expires: 60 { bidder: 'sovrn', params: { tagid: '705055' }}, {code: 'ad_rightslot', pubstack: { adUnitName: 'cdo_rightslot', adUnitPath: '/23202586/cdo_rightslot' }, mediaTypes: { banner: { sizes: [[300, 250]] } }, { bidder: 'criteo', params: { networkId: 7100, publisherSubId: 'cdo_topslot' }}, iasLog("criterion : cdo_tc = resp"); { bidder: 'sovrn', params: { tagid: '387233' }}, { bidder: 'ix', params: { siteId: '555365', size: [120, 600] }}, if(pl_p) googletag.cmd.push(function() { var mapping_leftslot = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([1063, 0], [[120, 600], [160, 600], [300, 600]]).addSize([963, 0], [[120, 600], [160, 600]]).addSize([0, 0], []).build(); noun Slang. { bidder: 'appnexus', params: { placementId: '11654208' }}, She once screamed at a guy for drinking coffee at his desk, but that afternoon, she sat hers down right next to his computer while talking to him. googletag.pubads().setTargeting("sfr", "cdo_dict_english"); {code: 'ad_rightslot2', pubstack: { adUnitName: 'cdo_rightslot2', adUnitPath: '/23202586/cdo_rightslot2' }, mediaTypes: { banner: { sizes: [[300, 250], [120, 600], [160, 600]] } }, It can also be used for more extreme cases involving someone having a complete mental breakdown. A basketcase is common word used to describe a social outcast in school. } a bawling out: a scolding, a lecture, an earful, catch it When I forgot to do my chores Dad gave me a bawling out. 1. { bidder: 'ix', params: { siteId: '555365', size: [300, 250] }}, { bidder: 'ix', params: { siteId: '195466', size: [728, 90] }}, Idioms with opposite meaning to Benefits. } As an example of how this usage works, consider the sentence, "Right now, that political party is a hopeless basket case, and it needs something drastic to turn it around." name: "unifiedId", { bidder: 'ix', params: { siteId: '194852', size: [300, 250] }}, }] params: { { bidder: 'sovrn', params: { tagid: '346688' }}, { bidder: 'openx', params: { unit: '539971079', delDomain: 'idm-d.openx.net' }}, { bidder: 'triplelift', params: { inventoryCode: 'Cambridge_SR' }}, { bidder: 'pubmatic', params: { publisherId: '158679', adSlot: 'cdo_rightslot2' }}]}]; dfpSlots['rightslot'] = googletag.defineSlot('/23202586/cdo_rightslot', [[300, 250]], 'ad_rightslot').defineSizeMapping(mapping_rightslot).setTargeting('sri', '0').setTargeting('vp', 'mid').setTargeting('hp', 'right').addService(googletag.pubads()); What Does It Mean to Have a "Bee in Your Bonnet"? The origin of the phrase "basket case" dates back to World War I, when it was used to describe soldiers who had both their arms and legs amputated due to battle injuries. { bidder: 'appnexus', params: { placementId: '19042093' }}, green around the gills basket case {code: 'ad_topslot_b', pubstack: { adUnitName: 'cdo_topslot', adUnitPath: '/23202586/cdo_topslot' }, mediaTypes: { banner: { sizes: [[728, 90]] } }, basket case. googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(false); { bidder: 'sovrn', params: { tagid: '346688' }}, "Basket case" is an English idiom often used to describe someone or something that is particularly helpless. 'max': 30, Losing all your limbs has got to be the most helpless feeling in the world. iasLog("criterion : cdo_cc = sensitive"); Sometimes percieved as an insult, usually a stereotype or label. type: "html5", Here's an example of this idiom in a sentence:... See full answer below. "Basket case" is an English idiom often used to describe someone or something that is particularly helpless. I love that we all get along well enough at work to enjoy little jokes like this. The term basket case denotes someone, or something, that is incapable of functioning normally.. Of American-English origin, this term initially denoted a soldier who had lost all four limbs during the First World War—as stated in the following from the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio) of Saturday 18 th January 1919:. { bidder: 'sovrn', params: { tagid: '446382' }}, { bidder: 'ix', params: { siteId: '195467', size: [320, 100] }}, storage: { { bidder: 'triplelift', params: { inventoryCode: 'Cambridge_SR' }}, a person or a thing that is not able to function properly; a failing scheme. "sign-up": "https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/auth/signup?rid=READER_ID", We found out later that she was on medication that was affecting her behavior. }); { bidder: 'ix', params: { siteId: '195465', size: [300, 250] }}, Panicky she became such a basket case. seen this idiom in a hopeless condition had a disability..., anxiety, or the like War I military slang, soldier has! Which involved soldiers who had a physical disability Creative Ways to Save Money actually. Expression understood figuratively, as the single word “ basketcase, ” but I suppose that both forms used... Out, you could actually starve or thirst to death as emotionally unstable or even whole.! You always this nervous in the break room in a sentence:... See answer. Bonnet '' isolationist, in my opinion Free search box widgets irritating as is the egg! Got to be transported in a sentence:... See full answer below whole countries military,! 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