bughouse

bughouse

A man is playing chess at a bughouse tournament.

Definition

  1. Noun:

    • A mental hospital: In informal American English, "bughouse" refers to an institution for people with mental illnesses, often used in a derogatory or humorous context.
    • A type of chess variant: In chess, "bughouse" is a fast-paced game played in teams of two, where captured pieces can be passed to a teammate and placed on their board.

  2. Adjective:

    • Crazy or insane: Used informally to describe someone or something as mentally unstable, eccentric, or extremely foolish.
    • Highly enthusiastic or obsessed: Sometimes used to mean excessively devoted to a particular interest, akin to "crazy about something."
Usage Examples

  • Noun:

    • He was sent to the bughouse after his breakdown. (A mental hospital.)
    • We played bughouse chess all night at the tournament. (A team chess variant.)

  • Adjective:

    • That idea is completely bughouse — it will never work. (Crazy or insane.)
    • She's bughouse about collecting vintage stamps. (Extremely enthusiastic or obsessed.)
Advanced Usage

  • "to go bughouse": to become insane or lose one's mind.

    • After years of isolation, he went bughouse. (He became mentally unstable.)

  • "bughouse chess": a specific chess variant with team play and piece passing.

    • Bughouse chess requires quick thinking and teamwork. (A fast-paced chess game.)
Variants and Related Words
  • Buggy (adj): having many bugs (software errors) or, informally, crazy.
    • The app is too buggy to use. (Full of errors.)
  • Bug-eyed (adj): having eyes that bulge, often from surprise or fear.
    • He stared bug-eyed at the magician. (With wide, bulging eyes.)
Synonyms
  • For "mental hospital": asylum, madhouse, psychiatric hospital.
  • For "crazy": insane, mad, daft, unhinged, bonkers.
Idioms and Phrasal Verbs
  • "to be buggy": (informal) to be mentally unstable.
    • Don't listen to him — he's a bit buggy. (He is slightly crazy.)
  • "to bug out": to leave quickly or to have one's eyes bulge in surprise.
    • When the alarm sounded, we bugged out. (We left in a hurry.)
Related Idioms
  • "as nutty as a fruitcake": extremely crazy, similar to "bughouse" in meaning.
    • His plan is as nutty as a fruitcake. (Completely irrational.)
  • "off one's rocker": informal for being insane.
    • She's off her rocker if she thinks that will work. (She is crazy.)