Stir crazy is a phrase that dates to 1908 according to the Oxford English Dictionary and the online Etymology Dictionary. Used among inmates in prison, it referred to a prisoner who became mentally unbalanced because of prolonged incarceration. It is based upon the slang stir (1851) to mean prison. It is now used to refer to anyone who becomes restless or anxious from feeling trapped and even somewhat claustrophobic in an environment, usually a confined space, perceived to be more static and unengaging than can any longer continue to hold interest, meaning, and value to and for them. 'Stir crazy' could be classified as a more specific form of boredom, but combined with elevated and often increasing levels of anxiety, frustration, agitation, figeting, manic depressive type mood swings, and accessory episodes of acting out violently or otherwise antisocially on those feelings, the longer the unengaging non-stimulating environment is persisted in. 'Stir crazy' has a similar meaning to cabin fever, except minus the urge to disengage and sleep more, plus the urge to engage and attempt doing anything perceived to be even slightly more constructive and productive, given the extreme limitations of the environment, even if plainly destructive, than doing nothing at all. Prisoners will sometimes initiate otherwise easily avoidable conflict for no other reason than they perceive they have nothing else better or more worth while to do.
Famous quotes containing the words stir and/or crazy:
“Never stir up litigation. A worse man can scarcely be found than one who does this.”
—Abraham Lincoln (18091865)
“I never understood exactly why people get engagedThe only time I ever did the most disastrous things happenedbut I feel that theres a great deal to be said for immediate matrimony always. If I once got started Id probably have to become a mormon to cover my confusion. What I mean is that if he and she are crazy about each other it is sheer tempting God to stay apart, come what may. And if people arent crazy about each other being engaged wont help them.”
—John Dos Passos (18961970)