Basket Case
/ˈbæs.kɪt ˌkeɪs/noun
A person, organization, or situation regarded as helpless, dysfunctional, or unable to cope.
Did you know?Although commonly linked to World War I amputees supposedly carried in baskets, historians have found no solid evidence that such patients were literally transported that way; the expression was likely sensational military slang.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kad-
“To fall or happen—an ancient root that eventually produced English words connected with accidents, events, and vulnerability.”
13th Century
Old French
baskete
“A small basket; the word is related to the name of the Basque people or region, though the exact pathway is uncertain.”
14th Century
English
basket
“A container woven from flexible materials such as twigs, rushes, or strips of wood.”
13th Century
Latin
casus
“A fall, occurrence, or circumstance; the source of English case and its relatives.”
14th Century
English
case
“A condition, situation, or instance—ultimately from Latin casus, “a happening” or “circumstance.””
1919
English
basket case
“A reported World War I term for a person who had lost all four limbs; early usage appears to have been a grim, possibly fictional rumor.”
20th Century
English
basket case
“A helpless or dysfunctional person, institution, or situation; the figurative sense became standard later in the century.”