sense (redirected from out of senses)

*out of one's mind and *out of one's head; *out of one's senses

Fig. to be silly and senseless; to be crazy and irrational. (*Typically: be ~; go ~.) Why did you do that? You must be out of your mind! Don't drive so fast, Tom! You have to be out of your head!

See also: mind, out

ain't got a grain of sense and ain't got a lick of sense

Rur. is or are foolish. Mary spends money like there's no tomorrow. She sure ain't got a grain of sense. I wouldn't trust Jim to take care of my kids. He ain't got a lick of sense.

See also: got, grain

ain't got the brains God gave a squirrel and ain't got the sense God gave geese

Rur. is or are very foolish. There goes John, running around barefooted in the snow. He ain't got the brains God gave a squirrel. No use trying to explain anything to Jane. She ain't got the sense God gave geese.

See also: brain, god, got, squirrel

bring (one) to one's senses

to cause someone to return to normal [after being out of control or irrational]. A gentle slap in the face brought him to his senses. Liz was brought to her senses quickly.

See also: bring

come to one's senses

to begin thinking sensibly. I'm glad he finally came to his senses and went on to college. I wish you would come to your senses and look for a better job.

See also: come

have more luck than sense

to be lucky but not intelligent. Jane went driving out into Death Valley without any water. She survived—she has more luck than sense. Tom: I like to drive ninety miles an hour on the freeway. Nobody's ever caught me. Mary: You have more luck than sense.

See also: have, luck, more

horse sense

Fig. common sense; practical thinking. Bob is no scholar but he has a lot of horse sense. Horse sense tells me I should not be involved in that project.

See also: horse

in a sense

in a way; in one way of looking at it. In a sense, cars make life better. But, in a sense, they also make life worse.

knock some sense into someone and knock some sense in

to strike one, making one smarter, or at least obedient. I think his father finally knocked some sense into him. The accident finally knocked in some sense. I thought that last week's experience would knock some sense in.

See also: knock, some

lull someone into a false sense of security

Cliché to lead someone into believing that all is well before attacking or doing someone bad. We lulled the enemy into a false sense of security by pretending to retreat. Then we launched an attack. The boss lulled us into a false sense of security by saying that our jobs were safe and then let half the staff go.

See also: false, lull, security

make (some) sense (out) of someone or something

to understand someone or something. I can't make sense out of Doris and what she has done! No one can make sense out of Tom's story.

See also: make

make sense

to be understandable. John doesn't make sense. What John says makes sense to me.

See also: make

ounce of common sense is worth a pound of theory

Prov. Common sense will help you solve problems more than theory will. The psychologist had many elaborate theories about how to raise her child, but often forgot that an ounce of common sense is worth a pound of theory.

See also: common, ounce, pound, theory, worth

sense of humor

the ability to appreciate good humor and jokes; the ability to create jokes and say funny things. Does he have a sense of humor? He looks like he has never laughed in his life.

See also: humor

sixth sense

a supposed power to know or feel things that are not perceptible by the five senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. My sixth sense told me to avoid going home by my usual route. Later I discovered there had been a fatal accident on it. Jane's sixth sense demanded that she not trust Tom, even though he seemed honest enough.

take leave of one's senses

Fig. to become irrational. (Often verbatim with one's.) What are you doing? Have you taken leave of your senses? What a terrible situation! It's enough to make one take leave of one's senses.

See also: leave, take

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but not in the biblical sense  (humorous)

if you say you know someone but not in the biblical sense, you mean you have not had sex with them

Usage notes: In the Bible, 'to know' someone meant to have sex with them.

'Did you know her then?' 'Yes, but not in the biblical sense.'

See also: but

come to your senses

to start to understand that you have been behaving in a stupid way So you've finally realized what a mistake you're making. I wondered how long it would take you to come to your senses.

See also: come

have taken leave of your senses  (old-fashioned)

if you have taken leave of your senses, you are behaving in a strange or silly way (often used in questions) You're leaving your family and your job to travel round the world, at your age? Have you taken leave of your senses?

See also: have, leave, taken

horse sense  (old-fashioned)

ordinary practical knowledge of the best way to deal with people and situations Has he got enough horse sense not to get into debt?

See also: horse

knock (some) sense into somebody   (informal)

to use strong methods in order to teach someone to stop behaving stupidly A month in prison should knock some sense into him.

See also: knock

lull somebody into a false sense of security  also give somebody a false sense of security

to make someone feel safe when they are not Wearing suntan lotion can lull people into a false sense of security and make them spend longer in the sun than they should.

See also: false, lull, security

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come to your senses

to start to understand that you have been behaving in a stupid way Once Jack came to his senses, he was happy to admit that he'd been wrong.

See also: come

in a sense

considering a situation in a particular way It is tragic, in a sense, to see a family business destroyed.

in the strict sense also in the strictest sense

according to the most limited and exact meaning of a word or idea “Conservative” in the strict sense of the word is not a label that fits her. The novel is not tragic in the strictest sense, but it is certainly full of sadness.

Usage notes: usually used to say that someone or something does not have the characteristics of this limited meaning

make sense

to be reasonable This deal clearly makes sense in the long term.

Usage notes: often used with words that describe amounts, like some, much, or any: Her idea doesn't make any sense.

See also: make

make sense of something

to understand something The community is trying to make sense of the tragedy.

See also: make

out of your mind

crazy You'd have to be out of your mind to reject an offer like that. Blanche thought she was going out of her mind.

Usage notes: often followed by with: We were out of our minds with fear.

Opposite of: in your right mind

See also: mind, out

take leave of your senses (slightly formal)

to become crazy My friends wondered if I had taken leave of my senses.

See also: leave, take

talk sense

to be reasonable Abdullah is liked by the people who work for him because he talks sense. I think it's time someone talked sense to us about conserving energy.

See also: talk

talk some sense into somebody

to help someone think about something in a reasonable way My best friend talked some sense into me, and I was able to smooth things over with my mom.

See also: some, talk