Nearby Words

bananas

[buh-nan-uhz] Origin

ba·nan·as

[buh-nan-uhz]
adjective Slang.
1.
crazy; deranged: All that chatter is driving me bananas.
2.
wildly enthusiastic: The crowd went bananas when the music began.

Origin:
1965–70, Americanism; see banana, -s3

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Bananas is always a great word to know.
So is navel-gazing. Does it mean:
excessive absorption in self-analysis or focus on a single issue
characterized by or defining oneself by ecological awareness, liberal political views, and support or use of natural products and health foods
Dictionary.com Unabridged

ba·nan·a

[buh-nan-uh]
noun
1.
a tropical plant of the genus Musa, certain species of which are cultivated for their nutritious fruit. Compare banana family.
2.
the fruit, especially that of M. paradisiaca, with yellow or reddish rind.

Origin:
1590–1600; < Spanish < Portuguese (perhaps via Sp); akin to various words for banana or plantain in WAfr languages (e.g., Wolof, Malinke banana, Vai (Mande language of Liberia) bana), but ultimate source and direction of borrowing uncertain

banana, plantain1.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To bananas
Collins
World English Dictionary
bananas (bəˈnɑːnəz)
 
adj
slang crazy (esp in the phrase go bananas)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

banana
1590s, borrowed by Sp. or Port. from a W. African word, possibly Wolof banana. The plant introduced to the New World from Africa, 1516. Top banana, second banana, etc. are 1950s, from show business slang use of banana for "comedian, especially in a burlesque show." Banana split first attested 1920. Banana
EXPAND
oil "nonsense" is slang from c.1910.

bananas
"crazy," 1968; earlier (1935) it was noted as an underworld slang term for "sexually perverted."
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

banana definition


  1. n.
    an American of East Asian descent who acts too much like a Caucasian. (The person is yellow on the outside and white on the inside. Patterned on oreo. See also apple. Rude and derogatory.) : Stop acting like such a banana!
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source

bananas definition


  1. mod.
    crazy. (Often with go, see also go bananas.) : You were bananas before I ever showed up on the scene.
  2. mod.
    enthusiastic. : The audience was bananas over the new star.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
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