cuckoo's nest
Definition
- Noun:
- Pejorative term for an insane asylum: A slang and derogatory expression for a psychiatric hospital or institution for the mentally ill. The term uses "cuckoo," a colloquial and dated word for "crazy," to create a dismissive or mocking metaphor.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
Advanced Usage
- The term is strongly associated with Ken Kesey's 1962 novel and its subsequent film adaptation, which critically examined institutional psychiatry. In this context, "cuckoo's nest" symbolizes the oppressive and dehumanizing aspects of a mental institution.
- It is almost exclusively used pejoratively and is considered offensive and stigmatizing in modern, clinical discourse about mental health facilities.
Variants and Related Words
- Loony bin (n): Another dated, pejorative slang term for a psychiatric hospital.
- Nuthouse (n): A highly informal and derogatory slang term for an insane asylum.
- Mental institution (n): A more formal and neutral term.
- Psychiatric hospital (n): The standard, clinical term.
Synonyms
- Insane asylum (n): A now largely historical and formal term.
- Madhouse (n): An old-fashioned and pejorative term.
- Lunatic asylum (n): An archaic term.
Related Idioms
- While not a phrasal verb, the phrase "one flew over the cuckoo's nest" has entered the language as an idiom alluding to rebellion against conformity and oppressive authority, derived from the title of the famous novel.
Noun
-
pejorative terms for an insane asylum
