The expression “off his rocker” is used to mean someone is mad (as in, bonkers mad, not angry mad). Does anyone know what a rocker is, and how being off one came to mean this?
Answer
I’m attracted by the argument made here, that it’s to do with trams, given that both “off his trolley” and “off his rocker” appear in print around the same time. I also feel the fact that all the early citations are about “going off your rocker” or “being driven off your rocker” – rather than falling/running/getting – suggests it’s the same as “going off the rails”.
That said, rocker at the time could refer to:
- chairs
- cradles
- rocking horses
- ore agitators
- rocker arms
- part of a coach or car
- Trevelyan’s rocker
- a technical term in numerous patents
Both words have continued to be overloaded: growing up, I associated “off your trolley” with shopping carts, and “off your rocker” with rock stars.
Attribution
Source : Link , Question Author : Brian Hooper , Answer Author : Mark
