Home » Dictionary » dementia americana

dementia americana

dementia americana
 n.— «The County court met Monday to pass on the sanity of Tony Hood. In the court’s opinion the case was found to be a bona fide case of insanity, unalloyed with “Dementia Americana” exaggerated ego or any other new fangled phase of insanity, and the boy was ordered to the Farmington asylum, Sheriff Barrow accompanying him to that place Tuesday morning.» —“Local Happenings” Wayne County Journal (Mo.) Jan. 30, 1908. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Further reading

Good Vibrations (episode #1556)

Asthenosphere, a geologist’s term for the molten layer beneath the earth’s crust, sparks a journey that stretches all the way from ancient Greece to the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Plus: What the heck is a dogberg? It’s when...

Deviled Eggs (episode #1554)

Some TV commercials launch catchphrases that stick around long after the original ads. The exclamation Good stuff, Maynard! is still a compliment almost 40 years after it was used in a commercial for Malt-O-Meal hot cereal. And: what do you call...

Recent posts