Bananas = insane

You'd be right that it's used in a silly way. But it's not uncommon...see, the song "Hollaback Girl" by Gwen Stefani.

Yes. Also “nuts” is another one that means the same thing.

Pretty common. It used to be more common, but it's still an every day expression.

It's fairly common. See: "Hollaback Girl"

I like using this term instead of saying something is “crazy” since it can have negative connotations about someone’s mental health. It’s a silly word, and I use it! This is bananas!

Yeah there's plenty of phrases in English for freaking out

English goes bananas with the complexity of its informal language

“An state”?

Bananas = crazy Cool bananas = things are good/relaxed Go bananas = become angry Banana Republic = usually a small country which tends to be poor, corrupt and badly run

it's real! pretty common too. i think "nuts" is more common but they're definitely both used often and understood. actually, you're right that it's silly; it seems to me that "bananas" is purposely a sillier version of "nuts".

For extra crazy things, my friend with a young child would call it "coconuts bananapants."

"That's bananas" is another example.

I'd say "bananas" has a more light-hearted, playful and positive connotation than "insane", mostly because of the word itself, the fact that it's a fruit, and the association with monkeys.

Banana = fruit "They're going bananas" = they're going crazy

Yes it is - I use this but I would say my mum uses it more than me and it’s likely used less by the younger generations. Language is weird! 😂

"This shit is bananas, b-a-n-a-n-a-s!"

Common and well understood, but a bit outdated, probably more common 70 years ago. People still say it sometimes though, and you can hear it even in some common media. The song "Rap God" by Eminem, while probably being a nightmare to understand for English learners, uses this in the opening stanza, which is itself quotes mostly from comic books from about 70 years ago: "Look, I was gonna go easy on you not to hurt your feelings But I'm only goin' to get this one chance Something's wrong, I can feel it Just a feelin' I've got, like something's about to happen, but I don't know what If that means what I think it means, we're in trouble, big trouble And if he is as bananas as you say, I'm not takin' any chances"

I've just read this post and I went bananas...

When my kid starts putting lots of stuff in the shopping cart, I say "Ok, let's not go bananas!"

We say “Cuckoo bananas” daily in my house. It’s an exasperated way of saying you are going crazy. “You are driving me cuckoo bananas!”

Very common, Northeast US English

Banænæ 

Part of the lyrics of one of my favorite Epic Rap Battles of History, where Deadpool sings (to Boba Fett): "That's bananas! I do damage when I brandish my katanas. Man, I'll slice you up then vanish in my ladybug pajamas. I'm one of a kind, you're a xerox of your papa; doing temp work for Vader and odd jobs for Jabba! I'm tight. Your mad baggy. I'm toned. You're so flappy. You're mad 'cuz Sam Jackson killed your clone daddy! Somebody outta put a bounty on that cape! Maybe I'll write a letter. I'll mail it in your face! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g708PmJAbuI

Bananas, apeshit, batshit, nuts, all are like this, i think if it’s completely irrelevant it means crazy

Also “bonkers”, “mental”, “cuckoo”.

Gwen Stefani even sang about it. [https://youtu.be/9YMbL7bNx9c?t=143](https://youtu.be/9YMbL7bNx9c?t=143)

Ananas

Surprised it isn't slang. I mean I never really thought about where the line between slang and creative adjective is.

As a Brit I've only heard it as in "going bananas", not just bananas by itself. But yes it's well known

I said it today!

Just hopping in here to copy a post I tried to make in this subreddit recently (was removed by reddit filters for reasons I don't understand): I'm English, and speak intermediate level French so have some experience with learning a new language. But man - the sheer number of times I'll find a post on here and immediately know what the answer is, but don't quite understand why. I'll open the comments and see a clear, concise explanation of why things are the way the are according to things like the tense and subject etc. but these explanations are full of terms and rules that I've either never heard of, not considered consciously, or don't quite understand (despite the fact that I obviously get the point just insitinctively). It's bizarre, it makes me feel like a beginner again. Also I have been consistently confounded in the past with languages which arbitrarily have gender assigned to innanimate objects, but this sub also really reinforced how awkward English is with stuff like that too. So many exceptions and edge cases - sorry about that haha. Anyway it's unlikely I'll comment here much because I just don't have much to add usually tbh, but thought it was worth posting at least this :)

if u wanna get real crazy you can say coocoo bananas

It is silly, but it's very common.

It's moderately common, mostly used in a lighthearted way

I wouldn't ever use it, sounds a bit uncool and outdated these days. I'm much more likely to say "wild", or "nuts".

Inaccurate bananas might be fine in moderation. Try: pathological neurosis=insane.

It is in German the same. But in German for that meaning you only use the singular.

Thanks now thats stuck in my head

*obligatory “chat is this real” reference* Yes it is.

It's very silly. Like literally, it's something you say when you're being silly.

You mean it seems a little bananas! There’s the fruit banana. There’s go bananas like that Karen in the grocery store line just went bananas There’s bananas like wild. We’re going to go bananas Friday night. When you think about all the ways to use it, it’s pretty bananas. Maybe because monkeys eat bananas and monkeys are wild and playful? Sometimes crazy? Dunno why. But yes. It’s a thing

[“And the crowd went absolutely bananas”](https://youtu.be/XbY8MH1TpEw?&t=2m44s)

*Immediately starts singing Hollaback Girl by Gwen Stefani*

I use "bananas" in this way maybe once or twice month on average? It's not the most common term in the world but it is well known and understood.

Yes.

Super common, I often say “nutso bananas” in normal conversations when something is /really/ whack

Coocoo bananas

This shit is Bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

It's very real and widely understood. See also "cool bananas", which is used less frequently but also widely understood.

Yes, the phrase is very silly. It wouldn’t be used in formal settings, but it is relatively common in casual conversations.

It’s a real expression and current but probably losing its currency. It’s been heard in the US since at least the early 20th century. One likely origin is pop imagery of excitable monkeys getting insanely enthusiastic about bananas, but it’s unclear where and how it started. [Theorizing over at Stack Exchange](https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/74581/why-does-bananas-mean-crazy/75117#75117)