dingbat

dingbat

1. slang One who is stupid or foolish. Geez, he keeps pulling on a door that's clearly marked "push"—what a dingbat. Did you hear that guy's ridiculous question? Geez, what a dingbat. You dingbat. I can't believe you put a pizza in the oven for 30 minutes without first turning it on.

2. A name for a small gadget whose actual name has, typically, been forgotten. Where's that dingbat? I need it to finish this repair. Hand me that dingbat or whatever it's called, will you? A: "You need to screw in a little dingbat to keep those pieces together." B: "Oh, a 'dingbat,' huh? And where am I supposed to find that?"

get the dingbats

slang To become very uneasy and anxious, possibly to the point of severe mental illness. Primarily heard in Australia, New Zealand. I'm really worried about John. Anyone could get the dingbats after the kind of trauma he went through. A: "Can you please stop pacing?" B: "No! If the doctor doesn't call soon with my test results, I'm going to get the dingbats." She was such a fearless kid—nothing fazed her. And, yet, somewhere along the way, she got the dingbats and now barely leaves the house.

See also: dingbat, get

give (one) the dingbats

slang To cause one to become very uneasy and anxious, possibly to the point of severe mental illness. Primarily heard in Australia, New Zealand. I'm really worried about John. That traumatic experience he went through could give anyone the dingbats. A: "Can you please stop pacing?" B: "No! If the doctor doesn't call soon with my test results, I'm going to get the dingbats." She was such a fearless kid—nothing fazed her. But somewhere along the way, something gave her the dingbats, and, now, she barely leaves the house.

See also: dingbat, give

have the dingbats

slang To have intense feelings of uneasiness and anxiety, possibly to the point of severe mental illness. Primarily heard in Australia, New Zealand. I'm really worried about John. Anyone would have the dingbats after the kind of trauma he went through. A: "If the doctor doesn't call soon with my test results, I'm going to get the dingbats." A: "Judging by how you've been pacing all day, I'd say you already have the dingbats!" She was such a fearless kid—nothing fazed her. But, for some reason, she has the dingbats now and barely leaves the house.

See also: dingbat, have

the dingbats

slang Primarily heard in Australia, New Zealand.

1. Madness; eccentricity. He wants to sell bees as pets? Oh yeah, he's got the dingbats, for sure.

2. Strong feelings of unease and anxiety, possibly to the point of severe mental illness. I'm really worried about John. That traumatic experience he went through could give anyone the dingbats.

3. Delirium tremens (a state of physical distress due to alcohol withdrawal, especially after chronic or heavy use). If Pop just stops drinking without being monitored by doctors, he might develop the dingbats.

See also: dingbat

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

dingbat

1. n. a name for a gadget. Isn’t there supposed to be a little red dingbat that goes in this hole?

2. n. a stupid person. Who is the dingbat with Bob?

3. n. any undesirable person. (Also a rude term of address.) I’m tired of reading about that dingbat in the paper every day.

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.