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Index — Chapter Words Relating to the Intellectual Faculties (Part 10 of 11)

    Wild, giddy, thoughtless, eccentric, odd, extravagant, quixotic, light-headed, rantipole, high-flying, crack- brained, cracked, cranky, hare-brained, scatter-brained, scatterpated, unballasted, ridiculous, frivolous, balmy.

    Applied to actions: Foolish, unwise, injudicious, improper, imprudent, unreasonable, nonsensical, absurd, ridiculous, silly, stupid, asinine, ill-imagined, ill-advised, ill-judged, ill-devised, tactless, inconsistent, irrational, unphilosophical, extravagant, preposterous, egregious, imprudent, indiscreet, improvident, impolitic, improper 645, 647, footling.

    (Phrases). Without rhyme or reason; penny-wise and pound-foolish.

  1. Sage (Substantives), wise man, savant, expert, luminary, adept, authority.
  2. Oracle, a shining light, esprit fort, intellectual, high-brow, pundit, academist, academician, philomath, schoolman, magi, a Magnus Apollo, a Solomon, Nestor, Solon, a second Daniel.

    (Epithets). Venerable, reverend, authoritative.

    (Phrase). "A Daniel come to judgment."

    (Ironically). Wiseacre, big-wig.

  3. Fool (Substantives), blockhead, idiot, tom-fool, wiseacre (ironically), simpleton, witling, ass, goose, ninny, dolt, booby, noodle, muff, mug, muggins, juggins, owl, cuckoo, numskull, noddy, goose-cap, half-wit, imbecile, ninnyhammer, badeau, driveller, idiot, cretin, natural, lack-brain, niais, child, infant, baby, innocent, greenhorn, zany, dunce, lout, loon, oaf, lown, dullard, duffer, doodle, calf, colt, buzzard, block, stick, stock, numps, clod-poll, clot-poll, cold-hopper, clod, lubber, bull-calf, bull-head, fat-head, thick-skull, dunderhead, addle-head, dizzard, hoddydoddy, looby, nincompoop, a poor head, un sot à triple étage, loggerhead, sot, jolthead, shallow-brain, jobbernowl, changeling, dotard, driveller, moon-calf, giddy-head, gobe-mouche, rantipole, muddler, stick-in-the-mud, old woman, April fool, Cyclops.
  4. (Phrases). One who is not likely to set the Thames on fire; one who did not invent gunpowder; one who is no conjuror; qui n'a pas inventé la poudre; who could not say "Boh" to a goose; one with his upper story to let.

    Men of Gotham; men of Bœotia.

  5. Sanity (Substantives), rationality, being in one's senses, in one's right mind, in one's sober senses; sobriety, lucidity, lucid interval.
  6. (Verbs). To be sane, etc., to retain one's senses, reason, etc.

    To become sane, come to one's senses, sober down.

    To render sane, bring to one's senses, to sober.

    (Adjectives). Sane, rational, reasonable, compos, in one's sober senses, in one's right mind, sober- minded.

    (Adverbs). Sanely, soberly, etc.

  7. Insanity (Substantives), lunacy, madness, unsoundness, derangement, psychosis, alienation, aberration, dementia, paranoia, mania, calenture, frenzy, raving, monomania, megalomania, disordered intellect, incoherence, wandering, delirium, hallucination, lycanthropy, vertigo, dizziness, swimming, dementation; Bedlam.
  8. (Verbs). To be or become insane, etc., to lose one's senses, wits, reason, faculties, etc., to run mad, run amuck, go off one's head, rave, dote, ramble, wander, drivel.

    (Phrases). Battre la campagne; avoir le diable au corps.