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basket case

In World War 1, a victim who had one or more severed limbs. They were brought off the field in a “basket”.

Etymology:

  • Etymology. The term originated in America after the First World War, indicating a soldier missing both his arms and legs, who needed to be literally carried around in a litter or “basket” though there are no records of any soldiers being carried in baskets.
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The horrible accident left the driver as a “basket case”.

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Submitted by rogerssanford on September 24, 2020

Additional definitions for 'basket case':

basket caseOne made powerless or ineffective, as by nerves, panic or stress.
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Nearby phrases

Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to basket case

as the case may behell in a hand basketbawdy basketdon't put all your eggs in one basketcase in pointgiven a basket to carry waterall one's eggs in one basketfederal caseI rest my caseI rest my casebreak in the casecase in pointcase closedget on somebody's case

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    "basket case." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 22 Dec. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/basket-case_62417>.

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