http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictiona...basket caseNOUN:
1. Slang
One that is in a completely hopeless or useless condition:
"He immediately becomes a psychological
basket case, embittered to the point of craziness"
(New York).
"After World War I, when the Hapsburg empire was split up, little Austria seemed a
basket case" (Paul A. Samuelson).
2. Offensive Slang
A person, especially a soldier, who has had all four limbs amputated.
Our Living Language In popular usage
basket case refers to someone in a hopeless mental condition, but in origin it had a physical meaning. In the grim slang of the British army during World War I, it referred to a quadruple amputee. This is one of several expressions that first became popular in World War I, or that entered American army slang from British English at that time. Some of these words reflect technical inventions and innovations of the time, such as parachute, blimp, tank, and bomber, and still have clear military associations. Others have lost most or all of their military connotations, such as ace, chow, slacker, and dud.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_a_basket_casebasket caseSomeone who is in a hopeless mental condition.
Generally means someone that is mentally deficient but on a lighter humorous side can also mean crazy in a harmless way. Somebody that is always doing crazy stupid things could be referred to as being "
A basket case"
I'd always heard that the term came from the First World War and it referred originally to quadruple amputees. At that time, I was told, there was little that could be done for these people in terms of rehabilitation and so they were kept in beds with rails all around. The beds got nicknamed "baskets" and so the veterans who were totally dependent on others for all of their physical -- and, by extension, emotional -- needs came to be called "
basket cases."
http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary...basket-case1. an insulting word for someone who is unable to do anything because they are too nervous or upset
2. a country or organization that has serious financial problems
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bas...Definition of
BASKET CASE1: a person who has all four limbs amputated
2: a person who is mentally incapacitated or worn out (as from nervous tension); also : one that is not functioning well or is in a run-down condition
http://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/bask...basket caseFunction: noun
Inflected forms: plural ∼ cases
Meaning:
[count] informal 1 : a person who is very nervous, tired, etc., and is not able to think or act normally
▪ I was so worried about losing my job that I was a complete
basket case.
2 : something (such as a company or a government) that is in very bad condition and close to failure
▪ a business that was once very successful but is now a financial
basket casehttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/basket_caseEtymology
The term originated from WWI British English, indicating a soldier missing both his arms and legs, who needed to be literally carried around in a litter or "basket." Today it indicates a state of helplessness similar to the metaphoric removal of the appendages.
[edit] Noun
basket case (plural basket cases)
1. idiomatic, slang, potentially offensive) One made powerless or ineffective, as by nerves, panic or stress.
She was a complete
basket case the morning of her wedding.
2. (idiomatic) A country in a difficult economic or financial situation.
- This country is a financial
basket case, a country so broke that it should be a perfect warning to lenders.
- Some countries are breadbaskets, others
basket cases.
Translations
one made powerless or ineffective, as by nerves, panic or stress
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?ter...basket caseWhen a given situation has no solution.
It makes reference in the form of a parabola to someone who has lost his mental health and has no cure.
It is said that people without cure to a mental disease used to be sent to a mental health care facility for life where they would manufacture baskets for the rest of their lives.
The economoy of Nicaragua is such a
basket case.
Peter smokes two packs a day, he is such a
basket casehttp://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/56500.htmlbasket caseAn infirm or failing person or thing - unable to properly function. Originally this referred to soldiers who had lost arms and legs and had to be carried by others. More recently it has been used to denounce any failing organisation or scheme and is rarely applied to people.
http://owad.de/check.php4?wordid=1046&choice=5basket caseDefinition: a hopeless situation, person, or system
German translation:
hoffnungsloser Fall Sample text:
Haiti: An economic
basket case. Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas. According to the World Bank, Haiti's economy has declined by an average of 0.2% per year during the 1980s, and shrunk by 0.4% per year in the 1990s.
(BBC News - 1st March 2004)
Did you know?
basket case1. Slang. One that is in a completely hopeless or useless condition.
2. Offensive Slang. A person, especially a soldier, who has had all four limbs amputated.
In popular usage basket case refers to someone in a hopeless mental condition, but in origin it had a physical meaning. In the grim slang of the British army during World War I, it referred to a quadruple amputee. This is one of several expressions that first became popular in World War I, or that entered American army slang from British English at that time.
You could use this idiom to refer to a totally hopeless project or enterprise:
"After all the great hopes at its launch, I'm afraid that the product has become a
basket case."
http://www.phrasen.com/uebersetze,basket-case...basket case American English -
hoffnungsloser Fallhttp://www.dict.cc/?s=basket+casebasket case [Am.]-
hoffnungsloser Fall {m}
mil.
basket case [sl.]- Schwerverletzter {m}
basket case [Am.] [sl.]-
Nervenbündel {n}
basket case [Am.] [sl.]- Psycho {m} [ugs.]
Siehe auch: Baske CaseSiehe auch: basket caseSiehe auch: basket caseSiehe auch: basket case - ein Fall für's IrrenhausSiehe auch: economic basket caseSiehe auch: Mentally he is a basket case. 
