cuckoo's nest
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
A lunatic asylum.
Register: slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
“Those offices have not been entered since Lyman Soap closed down, right after old Afton was hauled off to the cuckoo's nest in 1907,” said van Graven.
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “cuckoo's nest” mean?
A lunatic asylum.
Is “cuckoo's nest” formal or informal?
cuckoo's nest is generally slang.