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in one's right mind
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American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms - Cite This Source - Share This
in one's right mind
In a healthy mental state; sane and rational. For example, No one in his right mind would ski down this icy slope. This expression is often used in a negative construction, as in the example. The positive sense appears in the New Testament (Mark 5:15), where a deranged man whom Jesus helped is now "sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind." The antonym out of one's mind, as in You must be out of your mind to swim in that icy stream, is from the same period. [c. 1600] Also see go out of one's mind.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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