bats

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bat

1. dated slang An indulgence of wild or celebratory activity; a spree or binge. Primarily heard in US. Me and my pals were on a bat in the Big Apple, see, when Tommy the Toon gets picked up by the fuzz. What a predicament!

2. slang A speed or rate of motion. We were driving at a fair bat when we hit a patch of ice and spun out on the road. He came running toward us at full bat.

3. slang A foolish, irritating, or eccentric old person, usually a woman. Used especially in the phrase "old bat." Ugh, what is that old bat complaining about today?

bat (one's) eyelashes

To flirt with or feign romantic interest in someone, either by literally fluttering one's eyelashes or merely in general. Usually, but not exclusively, refers to women. She kept batting her eyelashes at me each time I talked to her, so I'm thinking of asking her out on a date. I like to bat my eyelashes at bartenders to see if I can get a drink or two for free.

bat (one's) eyes

To flirt with or feign romantic interest in someone, either by literally fluttering one's eyelashes or merely in general. Usually, but not exclusively, refers to women. She kept batting her eyes at me each time I talked to her, so I'm thinking of asking her out on a date. I like to bat my eyes at bartenders to see if I can get a drink or two for free.

bat along

To wander aimlessly; to move about from place to place. I doubt he has a job—he's been batting along out on the West Coast for a while now. He wound the mechanical toy up and watched it bat along all on its own.

bat an eye

To display a subtle emotional reaction, such as consternation, annoyance, sadness, joy, etc. Generally used in the negative to denote that the person in question did not display even a hint of an emotional response. Mary didn't even bat an eye when I told her I was moving out. That guy is dangerous. I heard he killed a man without batting an eye.

bat around

1. To push an object around playfully. The cat has been batting around that toy for at least an hour.

2. To strike someone or something repeatedly. The cat has been batting that toy mouse around for at least an hour. I was small in high school, so I got batted around a bit, but I eventually learned to stand up for myself.

3. To exchange and contemplate ideas or suggestions. We did bat around some other ideas, but this is the slogan we liked the best.

4. To wander aimlessly. I doubt he has a job—he's been batting around out West for a while now.

5. In baseball, to reach a team's first batter again in a single inning (because all of the team's batters have already batted in the inning). A: "It's still the top of the third inning?" B: "Yeah, the Cubs have batted around."

See also: around, bat

bat away

1. Literally, to strike a ball away from oneself with a club, bat, or racket. A noun or pronoun can be used between "bat" and "away." I put everything I had into my serves, but my opponent just batted them away as if they were nothing.

2. In baseball, to swing one's bat at will in order to hit the ball. The coach patted the star hitter on the back as she made her way to the plate and told her to bat away.

3. To strike someone or something away from oneself, especially with one's hands. A noun or pronoun can be used between "bat" and "away." I tried to get past the bouncer, but he just batted me away like a fly. It felt like we spent the whole vacation batting away mosquitoes.

4. To avoid, dismiss, or disregard some comment or question. A noun or pronoun can be used between "bat" and "away." I tried to nail down the senator's position on the new tax proposal, but he batted all my questions away. You can't just bat away any bit of criticism leveled at you. You'll never grow as an artist that way!

5. To wink or flutter continuously or at length. Her eyes started batting away as she turned toward the cameras.

bat for both teams

euphemism To be attracted to or have sexual relations with people of the same sex and people of the opposite sex; to be bisexual. How do you feel about dating someone who bats for both teams?

bat for the other side

1. To play for or support, either secretly or openly, the opposing side in a given contest or debate. Refers to cricket and baseball terminology, meaning to be a batter for the other team during a game. While the senator continues to publicly denounce the proposed tax law, many feel that he is really batting for the other side.

2. euphemism To be attracted to or have sexual relations with people of the same sex; to be homosexual. I asked Simone out on a date, but it turns out that she bats for the other side.

bat for the other team

2. euphemism To be attracted to or have sexual relations with people of the same sex; to be homosexual. I asked Simone out on a date, but it turns out that she bats for the other team.

bat in (one or more runs)

In baseball, to hit the ball and allow for one or more teammates to earn a run. The player batted in over 100 runs that season, the highest in the entire league. If she can bat in just one more run, her team will win the game.

bat on a sticky wicket

To deal with or be in the midst of a particularly awkward or difficult situation or circumstance. Refers to the pitch, called a "wicket," used in the game of cricket, and the difficulty of playing on one after it has been wetted with rain. I knew I was batting on a sticky wicket when the boss saw me kissing his daughter at the cinema. I'll be batting on quite a sticky wicket if I arrive at the train station and don't have enough money for the tickets!

bat out

To produce or create something very hastily. A noun or pronoun can be used between "bat" and "out." A: "I can't believe he batted out three papers in one day." B: "I bet he doesn't get very good grades on them though."

carry (one's) bat

In cricket, to have not gotten out at the end of one team's completed innings. If our best player can carry his bat, then we have a good chance to win the game.

have bats in (one's) belfry

To be crazy; to act, think, or behave in a foolish or nonsensical manner. Tommy has bats in his belfry if he thinks he can convince our mother to let him get a tattoo for his birthday. There's an old lady who stands on the corner yelling at strangers all day. I think she might have bats in her belfry.

See also: bats, belfry, have

have bats in the belfry

To be crazy; to act, think, or behave in a foolish or nonsensical manner. Tommy must have bats in the belfry if he thinks he can convince our mother to let him get a tattoo for his birthday. There's an old lady who stands on the corner yelling at strangers all day. I think she might have bats in the belfry.

See also: bats, belfry, have

have got bats in (one's) belfry

To be crazy; to act, think, or behave in a foolish or nonsensical manner. Tommy has got bats in his belfry if he thinks he can convince our mother to let him get a tattoo for his birthday. There's an old lady who stands on the corner yelling at strangers all day. I think she's got bats in her belfry.

See also: bats, belfry, have

old bat

A foolish or irritating old person. Ugh, what is that old bat complaining about today?

take off like a bat out of hell

To depart or flee extremely quickly or abruptly. "Out of" is sometimes contracted colloquially as "outta." He slammed on the gas, his tires squealing as he took off like a bat outta hell. The school bell rang for the last time before summer break, and all the students took off like bats out of hell.

See also: bat, hell, like, of, off, out, take

bat something around

1. Lit. to knock something around with a bat or something similar. Terry spent a little time batting a ball around, then he went home. Let's bat around some balls before we go home.

2. Fig. to discuss something back and forth. Let's bat this around a little bit tomorrow at our meeting. Do you want to bat around this matter a little more?

See also: around, bat

have bats in one's belfry

Inf. Fig. to be crazy. You must really have bats in your belfry if you think I'll put up with that kind of stuff. Pay no attention to her. She has bats in her belfry.

See also: bats, belfry, have

bat around

1. Hit something around, often with a baseball bat or other object, as in We batted the tennis ball around this morning. Originating in baseball, this term came to be applied to more violent action as well, as in Jerry left after being batted around by his father. [Slang; first half of 1900s]

2. Discuss or debate something, as in We batted the various plans around for at least an hour before we came to a decision. This usage transfers batting a ball to a back-and-forth exchange of ideas. [Slang; late 1800s]

3. Drift aimlessly, roam, as in After graduating, they batted around Europe for a year. [Slang; c. 1900]

See also: around, bat

bats in one's belfry, have

Be crazy or at least very eccentric, as in Sally thought her aunt's belief in ghosts indicated she had bats in her belfry. This term in effect likens the bat's seemingly erratic flight in the dark to ideas flying around in a person's head. [Early 1900s]

have bats in the belfry

have bats in your belfry

OLD-FASHIONED

If someone has bats in the belfry they are crazy. Don't say that to anyone else or they'll think you've got bats in the belfry! Note: The belfry is the top part of a church tower where the bells are kept, and bats resting there would fly about wildly when disturbed by the bells being rung. In this expression, the belfry represents the person's head.

See also: bats, belfry, have

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

have bats in the (or your) belfry

be eccentric or crazy. informal

This expression refers to the way in which bats in an enclosed space fly about wildly if they are disturbed.

c. 1901 G. W. Peck Peck's Red-Headed Boy They all thought a crazy man with bats in his belfry had got loose.

See also: bats, belfry, have

have ˌbats in the ˈbelfry

(old-fashioned, informal) be crazy or eccentric

See also: bats, belfry, have

bat around

1. To knock something around with or as if with a bat, hand, or similar object: We batted around some baseballs at the park. The cat batted the squeaky toy around the entire afternoon.

2. To discuss something back and forth in order to come to a decision: They batted around ideas all night before they made up their minds. We batted a few names around when thinking about nominees.

See also: around, bat

bat out

To produce something in a hurried or informal manner: The new store owner batted out thank-you notes to his first customers all morning. I don't have time before the big party to bake hundreds of cookies, but I think I can bat a few dozen out.

bat

1. n. a drinking bout. She was on a bat that lasted over a week.

2. n. a drunkard; a person on a drinking spree. A tired old bat—still waving a bottle—met me on the stairs.

bats

1. and batty mod. crazy. You are driving me batty! You are bats if you think I would ever wear a haircut like that.

2. and batty mod. alcohol intoxicated; confused and drunk. The guy was bats—stewed to his ears. He was a bit batty, but he’d been drinking since noon, so no one was surprised.

3. and the bats n. the delirium tremens. (Always with the.) My buddy is shaking because of a slight case of the bats.

the bats

verb

See bats

have bats in one’s belfry

(...ˈbɛlfri)

tv. to be crazy. (see also bats. Have got can replace have.) Pay no attention to her. She has bats in her belfry.

See also: bats, belfry, have

have bats in (one's) belfry

To behave in an eccentric, bizarre manner.

See also: bats, belfry, have

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

bats in one's belfry, to have

To be slightly crazy or quite eccentric. The term alludes to the bat’s seemingly erratic flight in the dark, which is transferred to thoughts flying about in the head. In reality, the bat has a sophisticated sonar system whose nature came to light only recently. In flight it keeps up a constant twittering noise that bounces back from solid objects in its path. This echo enables the animal to avoid actually bumping into obstacles. Nevertheless, bats have long been associated with craziness. See also blind as a bat.