different between squirrelly vs batty

English

Alternative forms

• squirrely

Etymology

squirrel +? -ly, 1925. Presumably from erratic movement of squirrels, or by analogy with nuts (“insane”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?skw?li/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?skw???li/
• Rhymes: -??(?)li, -???li

Adjective

squirrelly (comparative squirrellier or more squirrelly, superlative squirrelliest or most squirrelly)

1. resembling a squirrel
2. unpredictable or jumpy
3. eccentric

See also

• batty
• nuts
• nutty
• See also Thesaurus:insane

References

• OED 2nd edition 1989

English

Etymology 1

bat +? -y. In sense “insane”, attested 1903, from expression have bats in one's belfry, from tendency of bats to fly around erratically. Compare also batshit (“insane”) and squirrelly (“jumpy, eccentric”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?bæti/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?bæti/, [?bæ?i]

• Homophone: baddie

• Rhymes: -æti

Adjective

batty (comparative battier, superlative battiest)

1. (slang) Mad, crazy, silly.
   • 1992 July 6, Edwina Currie, Diary:

     On Sunday’s David Frost Show, Baroness Thatcher looked quite batty to me, eyes rolling.

2. (obsolete) Belonging to, or resembling, a bat (mammal).
   • 1595–1596, William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream

     And from each other look thou lead them thus
     Till o'er their brows death-counterfeiting sleep
     With leaden legs and batty wings doth creep.

Derived terms

• batshit

Translations

See also

• squirrelly

Etymology 2

From bottom, possibly influenced by bawtie or butt.

Alternative forms

• bati

Noun

batty (plural batties)

1. (West Indian slang, MLE) The buttocks or anus.
2. (Jamaican, Britain, derogatory) A homosexual man.

Derived terms

• batty boy
• batty man
• batty rider

References

Jamaican Creole

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?bat?/
• Hyphenation: ba?tty

Noun

batty (plural: batty dem, quantified: batty)

1. butt, bottom, buttocks (buttocks)

Derived terms

• battyman
• batty rider
• bench and batty
• jonkro batty

See also

• when puss belly full, 'im seh rat batty bitta
• pat a cuss keckle a seh how him batty black suh

References

• Richard Allsopp (main editor), Dictionary of Caribbean English Usage, 2003 (reprint by The University of the West Indies Press, originally 1996 by Oxford University Press), ISBN 9789766401450 (originally ISBN-10: 976-640-145-4), page 84
• batty – jamaicans.com Jamaican Patois dictionary