Who all has heard the term "bat-shit crazy"?
If you have raise your hand.
What did you do that for? I can't see you and if there are people around, they now think YOU are bat-shit crazy.....
Anyhow, the Urban dictionary defines "bat-shit crazy" as:
1.
Acting in a generally insane manner; Tom Cruise.
When Tom Cruise jumped on Oprah's couch, he proved he was bat-shit crazy.
2.
One step beyond just plain crazy. It is usually a temporary thing...sparked by something unexpected, or just really awful.
As soon as he saw me humping his mom, he went bat-shit crazy.
3.
Crazy to a degree bordering on complete insanity. The state in which one makes decisions which make the exact opposite of sense. See also: bat-shit
Example of usage: Why did Erin cheat on you with that greaseball? - Because she's bat-shit crazy.
This excerpt taken from: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bat-shit+crazy
You know that Swedish (or whatever.... something -hausen....) syndrome where once a topic is brought up, you just keep hearing about it ALL over the place for a while? (Mom- help me out on the name of that phenomenon...) Well, last weekend either me or Nate, or our native MN'n friend Nicki used the term 'bat-shit crazy' to describe something, and our friend Dustin (Nicki's husband, a native Iowan) had never heard this term before, much to our surprise. We discussed the definition and usage of the term and recognized that it is indeed a strange phrase.
Since this discussion I have heard Stephen Colbert (whom I would love to have officiate Nate and I's wedding.....just a little FYI that anyone could pass along to him...) use the term on my favorite show the Colbert Report, and also on at least 2 other tv shows.
Now I concede that using this term calls for desperate sentiment when attempting to describe something or someone, say Tom Cruise as above mentioned, or, say, Kim Jong-Il (leader of N. Korea, for those of you who have missed his 1993 inauguration...ha...and all of the bat-shit crazy things he does--- ooooo! I used the term!).
BUT: where does this term come from?
I invite you all to contribute your ideas and input on this serious matter.
I postulate that it relates to the harvesting and usage of 'bat shit,' or 'guano' as fertilizer, thanks to the creativity of Benjamin Drake Van Wissen.
cf. http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Guano
Every time i type in 'bat-shit' into an online dictionary i get something related to fertilizer or guano. Perhaps the vast quantities of guano harvested to produce fertilizer creates some type of awe among its procurers, or perhaps the fume or ingestion of said guano affects the procurers in some way unknown to the general public.
If someone could find out and post it in the comment section, I would be forever grateful and would be pleased to have your contribution to this mystery.
