barking mad
Meaning
Extremely crazy or mentally unbalanced; acting in a wildly irrational way.
Origin
From the image of a dog barking uncontrollably; “barking” became an informal intensifier for “mad/crazy,” especially in British English.
Notes
Informal and blunt; can sound insulting. Used for people or ideas to imply extreme irrationality or recklessness, not just mild eccentricity.
Examples
-
If you think I’m paying that much for a used car, you’re barking mad.
-
The plan to finish the whole project in a day is barking mad.
-
He went barking mad when he heard the rumor.
-
It’s barking mad to swim there in winter without a wetsuit.
-
She must be barking mad to quit without another job lined up.
Grammar & Usage Notes
Typically predicative: “be barking mad.” Also works attributively with a hyphen: “a barking-mad idea.” “Barking” functions as a fixed intensifier; word order is not usually changed.
Synonyms
- crazy
- insane
- nuts
- bonkers
- out of one's mind
- loopy
Antonyms
- sane
- rational
- in one's right mind
- level-headed