Trigger warning: this post contains an obscenity related to a bodily function.
I was surprised to see a very colloquial American English expression in an ABC News story today. Sentator Lindsey Graham, referring to support for Donald Trump (reality TV star and candidate for the Republican Party presidential candidate nomination) by the Republican Party was quoted as saying that the party was “batshit crazy.”
Batshit is a modifier that can be attached only to the adjective crazy, as far as I know. Batshit crazy means something like “very crazy.” You can also use it by itself to mean “crazy.” For example, if I said The dog went batshit when I took the chicken out of the oven, it means The dog went crazy when I took the chicken out of the oven.
Be aware that although the expressions batshit crazy or batshit are very colorful and fun to use, they are not polite, and you must not use them in a formal situation. I would not say either one of them around my grandmother, or while teaching. However, in the right situation, this is a great expression with which to add a true American flavor to your English.
Does someone know a good French equivalent to batshit crazy? I’d love to hear about it in the comments section.
Zipf's Law 
The only thing that comes to mind is ‘fou furieux’ or ‘peter les plombs’ or ‘peter un cable’ – but something is lost in translation compared to batshit crazy.
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I’d say “il a pété ses plombs” is pretty close in terms of what it conveys, though the image is slightly more low-key 🙂 I sort of like the simple adjectives “marteau” and “cinglé”.
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Yes, I also think cinglé is a good one. My son also adds ‘taré’.
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oh good, I’m glad “taré” has survived through the years 🙂
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Nothing to add to the French equivalents, but will mention the similar English word “apeshit”, which as far as I can judge means something pretty similar to “batshit,” perhaps with a more violent connotation and less wide distribution.
1. Republican elites are going apeshit over Trump’s primary success.
2. */? Republican elites are going apeshit crazy over Trump’s primary success.
While no doubt true, my examples don’t come from actual republican quotes or news stories.
There are of course “bullshit,” “chickenshit,” and sometimes “horseshit,” but as far as I know “dog shit,” and “cat shit.” Any other x+shit compounds in English?
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You’re right on with “apeshit.” I also agree that it works as a synonym for “crazy,” but not as an intensifier for “crazy,” like “batshit” does. Let’s think about the X+shit compounds in English, most definitely.
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