Basket Case – Common Sayings
Meaning:
One that is in a completely hopeless or useless condition.
Most say it came from ...
The supposed origin came about during World War I and was used to describe servicemen that had all of their limbs either surgically or explodingly removed–leaving them as nothing more then torsos that would have to be carried in a basket.
So is that true?
Again, it’s a yes and no answer. Yes, there were servicemen that went home sans all limbs during the World Wars, but only two documented cases and there were no reports of either of them being carried off in baskets of any kind.
Confusingly, the earliest recorded uses of the phrase were from US military statements claiming no such limbless soldiers existed. One way or another, it doesn’t seem like there were enough cases to create a whole phrase to describe them. Why have a term for something that doesn’t exist? Then again we have a word for “leprechaun” so, why not.
A lot of the English language seems to have been developed as some kind of elaborate practical joke. It’s full of little sayings and idioms that on their face make no sense at all, and if traced back to their origins are downright horrifying.
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