a few fries short of a Happy Meal

A derogatory phrase meaning not very intelligent or of questionable mental capacity. It can appear in many different forms and variations (for example: a few bricks shy of a load, a few cards shy of a full deck, etc.). A "Happy Meal" is a children's meal served at McDonald's fast-food restaurants, and it typically contains French fries. Every time Paul tells me about his latest conspiracy theory, I can't help thinking that he's a few fries short of a Happy Meal. He says he's going to start a business selling bees as pets—I think he may be a few fries short of a Happy Meal. Tommy's a few fries short of a Happy Meal if he thinks he can convince our mother to let him get a tattoo for his birthday.

See also: few, fries, happy, meal, of, short

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