Idiom – Lose your marbles

Lose your marbles – Idiom of the Day

Meaning:

It means that a person has become mentally unstable for sometime.

History:

History dates back to 1871 when the idiom was used in a comic ballad with the word taw instead of marble. But taw means a large marble. But it was widely in use from 1902. There are also references to the idiom being used in newspapers. In the recent times the idiom was used in 1995.

Idiom scenarios:

Scenario 1:

Friend 1: The nation is in a severe food crisis.
Friend 2: But I read in the newspapers that our government is planning to export large amounts of spices.
Friend 1: The minister had lost his marbles. The government will surely lose in the coming elections.

Scenario 2:

Friend 1: I’m sincerely practising the music lessons.
Friend 2: I think you’ve lost your marbles. Our exam is fast approaching and you don’t know a word. You will surely fail.

Scenario 3:

Husband: I’m going to give away all my property to the charity.
Wife: You’ve lost your marbles. Our sons are struggling to make ends meet and you don’t seem to care a damn about it.

Examples:

Go through the examples to understand the usage of the idiom:

1. The defence lawyer seems to have lost his marbles. He is not handling the witnesses properly.
2. The teacher lost her marbles. She started teaching Science instead of Geography.
3. “The businessman has planned to invest in heavy machinery which is running at a loss. He has lost his marbles.”