ape, adj. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

ape adj.

1. (US campus, also aped) drunk.

1915		R. Bolwell ‘College Sl. Words And Phrases’ in DN IV:iii 231: aped, adj. Drunk. ‘He’s aped again’.
1985		Eble Campus Sl. Oct. 1: ape – very drunk.

2. a generic term meaning aggressive and dangerous.

1935		(con. 1920s) J.T. Farrell Judgement Day in Studs Lonigan (1936) 656: We’re not the ape kind.
1964		in Current Sl. (1967) I:4 3/1: Ape, adj. Wild or over-excited.

3. (also ape wild, apey) mad, crazy.

1952		W. Sheldon Troubling of a Star 192: He always went slightly apey when he drank.
1957		M. Shulman Rally Round the Flag, Boys! (1959) 46: ‘You stone me,’ she said fondly. ‘I mean you drive me ape.’.
1961		T.I. Rubin In the Life 12: Ape, you know: for the nut wagon, psycho, mishuga.
1979		Eble Campus Sl. Mar. 1: ape wild – uninhibited [...] Let‘s go get some beer and go ape wild.
1999		Eve. Standard Mag. 4 June 1: You see? This is exactly why. April showers. Apey. Ape. It puts men off.

apeshit

see separate entries.

go ape (v.)

(orig. US) to lose control, esp. of one’s temper.

1950		Akron Beacon Jrnl (OH) 10 Dec. 53/5: G.I. Dictionary, Korean Campaign. ‘He’s gone ape’ means he’s blown his top.
1964		H. Selby Jr Last Exit to Brooklyn (1966) 60: Somebody would sneak up behind him [...] and take his hat off and toss it around and Spookd go ape tryin ta get it back.
1975		E. Torres Carlito’s Way 51: The Mapp case came down — all the cons went ape.
1986		F. Taylor Auf Wiedersehen Pet Two 327: Then he went ape.
1994		G. Indiana Rent Boy 67: Straight people [...] who go ape over any type of drag number.
2000		Indep. on Sun. Rev. 2 Apr. 61: Daddy went ape. Rang up, shouting.

go apecrap (v.)

go ape for (v.) (also go ape over)

to be obsessed with.

1942		F.W. Dixon Hardy Boys 21: The Clue of the Broken Blade n.p.: She’s very beautiful but we’re not going to go ape over her.
1955		Infinity Science Fiction I 41: Cinerama works, but not very well. Live stuff is what they really go ape for.
1963		F. Kohner Affairs of Gidget 38: He’s only going ape over one, Lolita. But you’re trying to get all of ’em.
2000		Guardian 4 Aug. 🌐 Wahlberg goes ape over Helena [headline].
2001		Guardian 16 Aug. 🌐 First, Helena Bonham Carter (‘Fans go ape for Helen’).