Driving me Bananas

Posted by Serge Liberman on February 19, 2005

In Reply to: Driving me Bananas posted by I.V.Holtzman on February 17, 2005

From the phrase-finder - Nov 14, 2003

Posted by ESC on November 14, 2003
In Reply to: Driving me Bananas posted by Monkey See on November 13, 2003

: : : : Nobody laugh but I have been going nuts driving to find the origin of the phrase "Driving me Bananas" Someone brought up the challenger and I have been looking ever since. If anyone could help me with this I would be very greatful. Thank you

: : : Try being 'grateful' you may have more luck. However, perhaps when 'driven Bananas' one behaves like a monkey and degenerates into an angry, confused and gibbering wreck of ones former self - or perhaps not.

: : Back during the (I've forgotten, 1940's, '50's perhaps.). there was a brief fad of smoking banana peal. It was widely and briefly believed to be a cheap high. I first heard "Driving me Bananas" during or shortly after that curious fad. The phrase could be much older and resurrected about that time.

:
: Bananas = crazy. It means you're driving me crazy. Same as 'you're driving me bonkers.'

Bananas! or Banana oil! = I doubt that! Flapper Era/1920s. Bananas = upset. Mainstream 60s. From " "Flappers 2 Rappers: American Youth Slang" by Tom Dalzell (Merriam-Webster Inc., Springfield, Md., 1996.)

Bananas = (perhaps related to 'go ape') = go nuts, crazy. Use rather faddishly during the late 1960s. From Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang, Volume 1, A-G by J.E. Lighter, Random House, New York, 1994.