cuckoo's nest
Psychiatric ward metaphor
A cuckoo's nest refers to a place of chaos or madness, particularly a psychiatric hospital or institution.
The phrase gained wide currency from Ken Kesey's 1962 novel *One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest* and the 1975 film adaptation.
The image derives from the cuckoo bird's practice of laying eggs in other birds' nests—suggesting disorder and things not being where they belong.
Hatchlings as a group
- interloperOne who enters uninvited
- usurpationWrongful seizure of power
- hostOne receiving guests
- impositionUnfair demand on someone
displacement · cuckoldry · deception · mimicry · impostor · exploitation · eggs · foster
State of wild disorder
- pandemoniumState of utter confusion
- disorderAbsence of organization
- turmoilViolent disturbance or confusion
- anarchyDisorder from absent authority
mayhem · havoc · confusion · disarray · tumult · frenzy · commotion · riot
Established organization or custom
- psychiatricOf mental health treatment
- wardProtected person; division
- sanatoriumFacility for prolonged recovery
- hospitalMedical treatment facility
McMurphy · electroshock · lobotomy · commitment · inmates · orderlies · medication · sedation
Severe mental illness
- lunacyExtreme irrational foolishness
- psychosisSevere reality detachment
- delusionStubbornly held false belief
- derangementDisturbed mental state
hallucination · paranoia · delirium · mania · schizophrenia · craziness · disturbed · unhinged
brood
Hatchlings as a group
- interloperOne who enters uninvited
- usurpationWrongful seizure of power
- hostOne receiving guests
imposition · displacement · cuckoldry · deception · mimicry · impostor · exploitation · eggs · foster · unwitting
bedlam
State of wild disorder
- pandemoniumState of utter confusion
- disorderAbsence of organization
- turmoilViolent disturbance or confusion
anarchy · mayhem · havoc · confusion · disarray · tumult · frenzy · commotion · riot · babel
institution
Established organization or custom
- psychiatricOf mental health treatment
- wardProtected person; division
- sanatoriumFacility for prolonged recovery
hospital · McMurphy · electroshock · lobotomy · commitment · inmates · orderlies · medication · sedation · restraint
insanity
Severe mental illness
- lunacyExtreme irrational foolishness
- psychosisSevere reality detachment
- delusionStubbornly held false belief
derangement · hallucination · paranoia · delirium · mania · schizophrenia · craziness · disturbed · unhinged · breakdown
cuckoo's nestsanctuary
Protected sacred space
freedom · safe haven · home · open society · liberation
cuckoo's nestsanctuary
Protected sacred space
haven · refuge · free society · outside world