Phrase guide

the lunatics have taken over the asylum

phrase · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

phrase

Meaning 1

Said of a situation in which those in charge are incapable of handling their responsibilities, and should rather be put under scrutiny themselves.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

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Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Said to originate in a 1919 remark by Richard A. Rowland about the founding of United Artists. Perhaps an allusion to the short story by Edgar Allan Poe, The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether, first published 1845.