What it means
A nutter is someone who's properly mad, unhinged, or just running on pure chaos. It can land as a real insult if you mean someone's not right in the head, but loads of the time it's said with a grin about a reckless mate who does the stupid thing first and thinks about it when the dust settles. Usually cheeky, a bit harsh if you push it.
Usage examples
"He necked his pint, climbed the fence and tried to high-five the bouncer. Absolute nutter, mate, but you’ve got to respect the confidence."
"Some nutter was out jogging in shorts in the middle of the snowstorm."
"You drove three hours for a chippy because you fancied their curry sauce. You're a nutter."
"Only a proper nutter goes swimming in the sea on Boxing Day and calls it refreshing."
"Your brother bought a kayak off Facebook at midnight and reckons he's sailing to France. Proper nutter."
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Where it comes from
Nutter comes from nut, which has meant head in English for ages. By the 19th century, nut was also tied to someone’s wits or mental state, and nutter turned up in British usage for a person seen as mad, daft, or wildly erratic. It’s still very British and can sound harsh or oddly fond, depending on who’s saying it.
Other ways to say it
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