adverb General Slang

Like Crazy

/laɪk ˈkreɪzi/ · adverb · slang

To an intense or wild degree — the beat-era way of saying 'a whole lot.'

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Definitions

1

An intensifier meaning intensely, wildly, or to a great degree.

“The band swung like crazy all night.”
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2

Tacked on for emphasis, often after a verb, in classic hip cadence.

“She digs that poet like crazy.”
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3

As an exclamation of enthusiastic agreement, sometimes just 'like, crazy.'

“You want to split? Like crazy, man — let's go.”
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Like Crazy In A Sentence

Those bongos were going like crazy.
He scribbles poems like crazy when the mood hits.
The joint was jumping like crazy after midnight.

Origin & Usage

Built on the beat-era filler word 'like' plus 'crazy,' which in 1950s jazz slang meant wild and wonderful. Together they formed a stock intensifier in hip speech that signaled enthusiasm and energy.

Variants like wildcrazy
Tags #beatnik#1950s#beat-generation#vintage#intensifier

People Also Ask

What does like crazy mean in beatnik slang?

It's an intensifier meaning wildly or intensely — 'swinging like crazy' meant swinging a whole lot.

Where did like crazy come from?

From beat-era speech that leaned on 'like' as filler and used 'crazy' to mean wild and wonderful. Combined, they made a stock phrase for enthusiasm.

Did 'crazy' mean something good to beatniks?

Yes — in jazz and beat slang 'crazy' often meant wild and excellent, not just unhinged, which is why 'like crazy' carried positive energy.

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