There are a lot of English expressions suggesting that somebody or something is "crazy." But please remember: while it may be perfectly polite to use such expressions regarding objects or situations, it can be rude and aggressive using them to describe people. A dictionary even warns: "The reference of the adjective "crazy" (and words derived from it) to mentally or psychologically ill people is strongly discriminatory." It also might get somebody very angry with you, so it's a better policy to be polite!

... a thin, pale, watery cup of tea that nobody in their right mind would want to drink.

Captions 15-16, Simon Jones: On Tea

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If somebody is described as "not being in their right mind," it suggests that they are not thinking clearly.

I can't imagine my life without the ocean. I would go absolutely nuts!

Caption 19, Naish Kiteboarding TV: Kai Riding Jaws

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'Cause they'll drive you good and nuts.

Caption 7, Ask Jimmy Carter: Interview with Robin Williams

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The phrase "to go nuts" means the same as "to go crazy." If something "is driving somebody nuts," it means that something is making them crazy. There is also an old-fashioned expression "to be nutty as a fruitcake," which also suggests "crazy."

Some say to survive it you need to be as mad as a hatter.

Caption 5, Filmtrailer: Alice in Wonderland

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The 19th century English children's book Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll had a character called the Mad Hatter, hence the phrase "mad as a hatter." In the old days, hatmakers were exposed to mercury, which would eventually damage their health and their minds. Note that in British English, "mad" means "crazy," whereas in US English, "mad" usually means "angry."

And I'm always off my trolley, so I never say sorry.

Caption 19, Robbie Williams: Party Like A Russian

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The expression that somebody is "off their trolley" is a particularly British expression meaning "crazy"—or as they would say, "mad." The equivalent American English expression is to say somebody is "off their rocker." The source of the latter phrase is uncertain, but it may refer to elderly people falling out of their rocking chairs due to senile dementia. Not very nice, is it?

Some further idioms and expressions that mean "crazy" include:

—to go (or be) bananas
—to be a basket case
—to not be playing with a full deck of cards
—to have the lights on, but nobody is home
—to lose one's marbles
—to have a screw loose
—to take leave of one's senses
—to have toys in the attic

Further Learning
Go to Yabla English and watch the above videos in their entirety to see the contexts in which the expressions were used.

Let's take a look today at different idioms, or slang expressions, that are based on the verb "to run" and its noun version, "run." The primary meaning of "to run" is, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, "to go faster than a walk; specifically, to go steadily by springing steps so that both feet leave the ground for an instant in each step." But there are a lot of other uses for this handy word whose meanings are meant as a figure of speech.

It's no secret that the both of us are running out of time

Caption 30, Adele Hello

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It just was a movie that didn't end with all the pizzazz that it should have because they ran out of money by the end.

Captions 70-71,  Ask Jimmy Carter: Interview with Robin Williams

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To "run out" of something means that you will soon have no more of something left. The phrase "to run out of gas" literally means that your car will soon have no more gas. But it is also a figure of speech meaning that you are getting tired and have very little energy left. "I wanted to finish my homework, but I ran out of gas."

In the long run, there's still time to change the road you're on.

Captions 1-2, Led Zeppelin: Stairway to Heaven

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The phrase "in the long run" means over a long period of time, or eventually.

Yeah, she'd stay there till her blood ran cold.

Caption 22, Krayolas: La Conquistadora

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The saying "blood runs cold" means that somebody gets very frightened and fears for the worst.

And wonder runs in the family.

Caption 14, Selena Gomez: Ramona And Beezus

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If something "runs in the family," it suggests that some kind of illness is inherited in a family or some kind of behavior is seen in a family, as if it were inherited. 

I was running late and I decided in order to make up the time, that I was gonna speed my car.

Caption 30, Drivers Wanted: Pizza Delivery

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To be "running late" does not necessarily mean that you are literally running—although people do often run when they are late—but simply that you are late for something like an appointment. 

Further Learning
See if you can guess the meaning of the following figures of speech using "run." The answers are at the very bottom of the page, so you can check them afterwards.

A. to get off to a running start
B. to make a run for it
C. to run a fever or temperature
D. to run a tight ship
E. to run around in circles
F. to run into a stone wall
G. to run someone ragged

You can also go to Yabla English and find more videos that use run, running, ran etc. to see the different phrases used by native English speakers. 

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A. to start something, such a project, very quickly and efficiently
B. to escape something, whether literally by running or any other means
C. to have a fever or a high temperature
D. to supervise very effectively and efficiently
E. to be inefficient, wasting time
F. to be stopped from making progress
G. to exhaust somebody by giving them too many tasks