What it means
A head case is someone who’s a bit cracked, unpredictable, and liable to do something daft on a whim. It can be a proper insult if you mean someone’s genuinely unstable, but most of the time it’s said half-laughing about your mate who lives for chaos. Basically great craic, terrible decision-making.
Usage examples
"Yer man just swan-dived off the pier in January, roaring laughing. Absolute head case, like. We’re freezing and he’s saying it’s grand."
"Our old PE teacher was a bit of a head-case, he made us run laps in a thunderstorm for fun."
"Anyone who swims in the sea here in January is a proper head-case, lovely though."
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
Your vote counts
Is this real street talk or have we lost the plot? Cast your vote.