plumb (redirected from plumbs)

half a bubble off plumb

Fig. giddy; crazy. She is acting about half a bubble off plumb. What is wrong with her? Tom is just half a bubble off plumb, but he is all heart.

See also: bubble, half

plumb loco

Rur. completely crazy. (Loco is from a Spanish word meaning "mad.") You're plumb loco if you think I'll go along with that. All those people were running around like they were plumb loco.

See also: loco

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plumb the depths 

1. to experience extreme sadness (usually + of ) His wife left him in May and during the following months he plumbed the depths of despair.

2. to understand something in detail, especially something that is difficult to understand (usually + of ) In hypnosis we plumb the depths of the unconscious.

3. if something that someone does or says plumbs the depths, it is very bad (often + of ) I read one review which said the show plumbed the depths of tastelessness.

See also: depth

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plumb the depths (of something)

to carefully examine something in order to understand or explain it Who would want to plumb the depths of the criminal mind?

Etymology: based on plumb line (a cord with a heavy piece of metal attached to it, used to measure the depth of water under a ship)

See also: depth