off the chain
adj.— «Off the chain: An inmate term, not necessarily derisive, for officers acting slightly wacky or making wisecracks at inmates. As in, “Looks like the sergeant’s off the chain today.”» —“What the lingo means” by Adam C. Smith, Jo Becker St. Petersburg Times (Florida) Dec. 30, 1999. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
In 1971, when a new public library opened in Troy, Michigan, famous authors and artists were invited to write letters to the city’s youngest readers, extolling the many benefits of libraries. One of the loveliest was from E.B. White, author of...
Carmen in Jacksonville, Florida, was told she was pretty as a speck of puff. The more common simile is pretty as a speckled pup or cute as a speckled pup. This is part of a complete episode.
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