×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Wacko-pls. upgrade my vocabulary

Wacko-pls. upgrade my vocabulary

Wacko-pls. upgrade my vocabulary

(OP)
Could somebody help me explaining the term "wacko"? English is not my native language.Thanks.
m777182

RE: Wacko-pls. upgrade my vocabulary

Wacko - wacky - mad/crazy/insane.

corus

RE: Wacko-pls. upgrade my vocabulary


Michael Jackson - The King of Pop or Wacko Jacko

A clean house is a sign of a broken computer.

RE: Wacko-pls. upgrade my vocabulary

Wacko - eccentric, unusual
Wacko - nutter (in the UK)

______________________________________________________________________________
This is normally the space where people post something insightful.

RE: Wacko-pls. upgrade my vocabulary

"wacko" as a song says, can mean "steel crazy after all these years"

RE: Wacko-pls. upgrade my vocabulary

m777182,
What's the context?  Can you give us the sentence where you have seen it used?

It is slang, american certinaly, but maybe elsewhere too.  wacko - wacky or whacky, "erratic or eccentric; seemingly quite irrational; crazy", out of whack, off kilter, nuts, goofy, strange, out of place, [probably some others too ... depending on how you have seen it used].

RE: Wacko-pls. upgrade my vocabulary

urbandictionary.com is a good site to get definitions of what slang words/phrases/idioms.  Only catch is, the definitions can be edited/added by anyone.  The site is filtered from my work computer so I don't know how many interesting definitions are listed for wacko.  To me, it is a crazy person.

RE: Wacko-pls. upgrade my vocabulary

It's also used as a generally positive interjection, roughly the same as good-oh. That's a bit old fashioned though.

Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

RE: Wacko-pls. upgrade my vocabulary

(OP)
Thanks to all of you. The context was" a wacko idea" and I was not sure if it was good or bad.
m777182

RE: Wacko-pls. upgrade my vocabulary

A wacko idea would indicate it wasn't any good - not thought out - not clear - stupid

Naresuan University
Phitsanulok
Thailand

RE: Wacko-pls. upgrade my vocabulary

  
Artisi
"A wacko idea would indicate it wasn't any good - not thought out - not clear - stupid"

Not always. I have heard it used for good as in:

John, "It is really boring here today. Let's go to the beach."
 Bill, "Man that's a whacko of an idea! I'll get my surf board."

RE: Wacko-pls. upgrade my vocabulary

Ok - agreed - but in this case I would hear - "that's a crazy idea" but in a positive sense.  

Naresuan University
Phitsanulok
Thailand

RE: Wacko-pls. upgrade my vocabulary

Wacko may also mean "out of the ordinary".

A wacko idea may or may not work. Either way, it will be unexpected.

"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."   
Albert Einstein
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

RE: Wacko-pls. upgrade my vocabulary

Not complicated derivative...WACKed-Out...WACKO

RE: Wacko-pls. upgrade my vocabulary

Which would be fine except I've never come across the verb "to wack"

Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

RE: Wacko-pls. upgrade my vocabulary

In Aussie. slang wack is used as follows:

Give it a good wack. Hit it hard

I wacked the ball over the fence.I hit it over the fence.

I'll give you a good wack (mother to child)= behave or I'll hit you.

It's out of wack = (something)doesn't work properly.   

Naresuan University
Phitsanulok
Thailand

RE: Wacko-pls. upgrade my vocabulary

No. That word is spelled whack. Since this is a language and grammar forum, I think that is a fair nit to pick.

Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

RE: Wacko-pls. upgrade my vocabulary

I thought it was a place in Texas.

RE: Wacko-pls. upgrade my vocabulary

No that's a mexican corn tortilla.

Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

RE: Wacko-pls. upgrade my vocabulary

GregLocock

You are absolutely correct, I woke up during the night thinking about it being spelt whack and not wack - guess my brain must have ben out of whack when I was typing my comments.

Naresuan University
Phitsanulok
Thailand

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources