have bats in one's belfry
To be crazy or eccentric.
Anyone declaring himself Emperor of San Francisco probably had bats in his belfry.
belfry
/ˈbɛlfɹi/
noun 5
Collocations
4ADJ.
famous, local
VERB + BELFRY
climbing, inspect
BELFRY + NOUN
bats, tower
PREP.
in, up, with, without
Definitions
noun
1
A tower or steeple typically containing bells, especially as part of a church.
“You know, this house does have a belfry filled with local bats. Maybe Laszlo went up there.” “Oh, so like my darling perverted husband, to sniff out the local bordello immediately upon arrival. [chuckles] Could you take me to the belfry?”
2
A part of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells.
From the belfries far and near the funereal deathbell tolled unceasingly while all around the gloomy precincts rolled the ominous warning of a hundred muffled drums punctuated by the hollow booming of pieces of ordnance.
3
A shed.
4
A movable tower used in sieges.
5
An alarm-tower; a watchtower possibly containing an alarm-bell.
Thesaurus
Synonyms
noun — a bell tower
Antonyms
Idioms & Phrases
Example Bank
601
“You know, this house does have a belfry filled with local bats. Maybe Laszlo went up there.” “Oh, so like my darling perverted husband, to sniff out the local bordello immediately upon arrival. [chuc
Wiktionary02
From the belfries far and near the funereal deathbell tolled unceasingly while all around the gloomy precincts rolled the ominous warning of a hundred muffled drums punctuated by the hollow booming of
Wiktionary03
How can you have a belfry without bats?
Tatoeba · #71530804
I hear the storks clacking from up in the belfry.
Tatoeba · #160239005
And Mary was buried in the rural graveyard, under the shadow of the belfry tower.
Tatoeba · #198683206
He has bats in the belfry.
Tatoeba · #2511630Usage Notes
i Register
In some senses, belfry is marked as obsolete. Watch for register when choosing this word.
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