cockeyed

American  

[kok-ahyd] / ˈkɒkˌaɪd /

adjective

1. cross-eyed.

2. having a squinting eye.

3. twisted, tilted, or slanted to one side.

4. Slang.

   1. foolish; absurd.

   2. intoxicated; drunk.

   3. completely wrong.

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cockeyed British  

/ ˈkɒkˌaɪd /

adjective

1. afflicted with cross-eye, squint, or any other visible abnormality of the eyes

2. appearing to be physically or logically abnormal, absurd, etc; crooked; askew

   cockeyed ideas

3. drunk

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Other Word Forms

• cockeyedly
  adverb
• cockeyedness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of cockeyed

1715–25; cock ² (v.) + eyed

Explanation

Something that's off-kilter, crooked, or strangely twisted is cockeyed. If the cockeyed pictures on your grandparents' wall drive you crazy, you may need to go around their house straightening them all. If your hat's on cockeyed, it's askew, leaning to one side, and if the lights on your friend's Christmas tree are cockeyed, they're drooping in a lopsided way. Something that doesn't make sense or isn't believable can also be called cockeyed: "Then he told this cockeyed story about having lunch with the President." In the 1920s and 30s, the word also meant "drunk." It started out, in the 19th century, meaning "squint-eyed."

Example Sentences

And it’s a little disconcerting to hear LuPone -- who has made a career of playing tough cookies -- sing “A Cockeyed Optimist” from “South Pacific.”

From BusinessWeek • Nov. 22, 2011

A. I didn't know him as Cockeyed Dunne.

From Time Magazine Archive

In The Cockeyed Miracle, Ghost Frank Morgan, 56, and his late father, thirtyish Keenan Wynn, who obviously died at an early age, wander raffishly through a romantic farce.

From Time Magazine Archive