Jangle-Brain
/ˈdʒæŋɡəlˌbreɪn/noun
A foolish, confused, or excessively talkative person.
Did you know?The expression combines jangle, meaning noisy or foolish chatter, with brain, turning mental confusion into a vivid image of a mind that audibly rattles.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*bragnan
“Brain or skull; the reconstructed ancestor of English brain.”
Old English
OE
brægen
“The brain or inner substance of the head.”
Middle English
ME
janglen
“To chatter, quarrel, or make a discordant noise; probably influenced by imitative sound symbolism and Old French jangler.”
Middle English
ME
brayn
“Brain, mind, or understanding.”
Early Modern English
English
jangle-brain
“A foolish or disorderly person, imagined as having a rattling or confused mind.”
Modern English
English
jangle-brain
“An archaic or dialectal insult for a foolish, confused, or overly talkative person.”