Every month, we take a look at a word in the headlines, in English, for your English. See more at The Word of the Month.
Definitions
Bat (noun): Small, nocturnal flying mammal. Uses sonar to navigate. Not a dolphin.
Also: Object used to hit a ball in baseball or cricket.
Batty (adj): Deranged, crazy
Bats in the news
Big news that doesn’t help: COVID19 may have been transmitted initially by a bat.
Alternative theories include: secret laboratories, biological warfare and 5G cellular service. Choose one that matches the news you consume.
Notable bats
Vampire Bat: Sucks blood. Hangs upside down. Typical Friday night if you ask us.
Batman: Wears mask and fights injustice. Sounds like us in the wine section at the supermarket.
Wombat: Australian marsupial quarantining with a bunch of kangaroos. We’re jealous.
Batty expressions
Batsh*t crazy: Insane. Have you seen a press conference at the White House lately?
“Old bat“: Pejorative term for a senior. Personally, we’d like old bats and young to survive this pandemic.
Off the bat: Immediately. Life will go back to normal right off the bat, right?