1821, "squint-eyed," perhaps from cock (v.) in some sense + eye. Fig. sense of "absurd, askew, crazy" is from 1896; that of "drunk" is attested from 1926.
mod. crazy. : Who came up with this cockeyed idea, anyway?
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition. Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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