Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. of a person, eccentric, mad, crazy.

1947		B. Schulberg Harder They Fall (1971) 17: A screwball slugger like Beaumont.
1952		J. Jones From Here to Eternity (1998) 792: No sooner do I get rid of one screwball Jewboy who at least was decent enough to commit suicide than I get another one.
1967		E. Shepard Doom Pussy 250: I know a screwball Cranberry pilot.
1970		‘Red’ Rudensky Gonif 30: We had enough screwball knife men and killers to turn a riot into a blood bath.
1990		S. Morgan Homeboy 20: He loved her screwball wandering eye that looked like the five ball off the eight, the hard way.
2006		Indep. Rev. 10 Feb. 22: A natural screwball herioine.

2. (also screwballed) of a thing or procedure, bizarre, eccentric.

1938		Pic (N.Y.) Mar. 7: Nothing disgusts players of gut-bucket, screwball, and whacky music so much as the Schmaltz or sweet type played by a ‘Long-Underwear gang’.
1949		F. Brown Dead Ringer 24: One little word that took it out of the plane of the ordinary and made it screwball.
1951		M. Spillane Long Wait (1954) 197: You must have known something was screwballed when I didn’t haul off on you right away.
1958		E. Gilbert Vice Trap 34: When you’re sore enough you’ll do some screwball things.
1966		F. Elli Riot (1967) 139: I’ve been in this zoo over four years already [...] after getting roped in on this screwball deal I’ll probably be here four more.
1975		L. Rosten Dear ‘Herm’ 117: That screwball stuff about ‘Balogna’ and ‘baloney’ is for the birds.
1982		W. Wharton Midnight Clear 81: That’s Shutzer’s screwball game of ‘dictionary,’ only without a dictionary.
1993		L. Rodríguez Always Running (1996) 176: We suffered through a number of tumbling acts and screwball routines.
1996		J. Byrell Lairs, Urgers & Coat-Tuggers 117: The screwball O’Brien-Carbine connection began at a thoroughbred sale in New Zealand in 1887.
1999		Guardian Guide 15–21 May 15: A tribute to the screwball comedies of the 30s and 40s.
2000		Observer Screen 16 Jan. 9: Screwball ideas and passions could be indulged.
2004		Morn. Star (Vernon, BC) 9 May 58/3: A screwball sitcom.
2010		Oldie Jan. 67/1: Brigit [sic] Kendall’s Forum brings together ‘interesting minds’ with some screwball ideas.