lost the plot
Lost all reason
Lost the plot means to lose one's grip on a situation, become confused or irrational, or go off the rails.
British in origin, it suggests someone has stopped following the logical thread of what they're doing: The movie was great until the third act, when the director completely lost the plot.
Can describe mental deterioration, emotional breakdown, or simply failing to make sense: He started ranting about conspiracies—he's really lost the plot.
- out to lunchDistracted, unaware of surroundings
- bewilderedThoroughly puzzled and confused
- perplexedThoroughly confused, uncertain
- disorientedLacking sense of direction
- missed the boatFailed to seize opportunity
flustered · all over the place · irrational · scatterbrained · off one's rocker · round the bend · erratic · absent-minded · cracked up · unhinged · off the rails · off the deep end · gone haywire · chaos · distraction · mental fatigue · overwhelmed · snapped
- confusionconfusion, confused, bewilderment, perplexity, baffled
- lost controlsnapped, went crazy, went nuts, went wild, went bananas
- insanityinsane, crazy, mad, lunatic, insanity
- expressions about forgetfulnessslipped my mind, drew a blank, blanked out, absentminded, memory like a sieve
- inattentiondistracted, spacing, absent-minded, distraction, obliviousness
- Incompetencebungle, failure, botch, inability, blunder