Basket case

Posted by ESC on September 01, 2004

In Reply to: Basket case posted by Bean on September 01, 2004

: Has anyone heard of a "basket case"?

: Which refers to someone who is suffering from severe strain....

BASKET CASE - " A person too impaired to function. This term dates from World War I, when it meant a soldier who had lost all four limbs and therefore had to be carried off the field in a litter, or 'basket.' Later it was transferred to an emotionally or mentally unstable person. It is also occasionally used for something that fails to function." From "Fighting Words: From War, Rebellion, and other Combative Capers" by Christine Ammer (NTC Publishing Group, Chicago, Ill., 1989, 1999).