Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2016 August 24

= August 24 =

Batshit crazy?
Ok so where does the phrase "batshit crazy" come from? Been having a discussion on Facebook about it, and nobody can seem to agree. --TammyMoet (talk) 10:56, 24 August 2016 (UTC)
 * This seems to be promising. There are also dialects in English that use a whole array of -shit intensifiers, each with their own meanings.  See, for example words like chickenshit, bullshit, horseshit, apeshit, etc.  Batshit fits that pattern well.  -- Jayron 32 12:16, 24 August 2016 (UTC)


 * Speculation: Our article on bats states that a) they are carriers of numerous diseases, specifically rabies, and b) they have been associated with black magic and witchcraft.  The word rabies is derived from the Latin term for madness (as in the related word rabid).  The article´s notes on the symptoms give the reason for this association.


 * I can´t find a reference which states that an infected bat´s faeces alone can transmit the disease. This may be a colloquial hyperbole.  --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 15:27, 25 August 2016 (UTC)