one brick short of a full load
Not all there
A humorous way of saying someone is mentally deficient or not very bright.
Like similar expressions—*a few fries short of a Happy Meal*, *not the sharpest tool in the shed*—it implies something is missing that would complete the set.
The construction invites endless variation: He's one sandwich short of a picnic.
- not the sharpest tool in the shedEuphemism for unintelligent
- half-bakedInsufficiently planned or considered
- muddle-headedIncapable of clear thought
- scatterbrainedLacking mental focus
- dim bulbIntellectually sluggish person
lights are on but nobody's home · ditzy · airhead · out to lunch · clueless · slow-witted · absent-minded · spacey · goofy · unfinished business · inattentiveness · off one's rocker · forgetfulness · learning disability · cognitive impairment · dense · thick as a brick
one brick short of a full loadsharp as a tack
Extremely intelligent and alert
smart as a whip · playing with a full deck · firing on all cylinders · brilliant · bright
one brick short of a full loadsane
Mentally healthy, clearheaded
rational · level-headed · of sound mind · well-balanced · sensible
bricks, bricked, bricking, brickwork, bricklayer, shorts, shorten, shortened, shorter