attic, n. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

attic n.

1. (orig. boxing, also attic story, top-loft) the head.

1803		‘A Pembrochian’ Gradus ad Cantabrigiam 129: Cram not your attics / With dry mathematics.
1823		‘Jon Bee’ Dict. of the Turf, the Ring, the Chase, etc.
1842		Whip & Satirist of NY & Brooklyn (NY) 22 Jan. n.p.: A straight flush right-handed hit [...] which bothered his attic story.
1846		Swell’s Night Guide 108/2: Attic, the head, brain pan, the knob, the nut, the canister.
1859, 1860		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc.
1866		Letters by an Odd Boy 161: I can under stand my head itself to be ‘a nut,’ — let me hope with a sound kernel, — or, to change the figure, an ‘attic,’ as being the top story of my body.
1870		H. Alford Life (1873) 467: Tolerably well all day, but the noise in the attic unremoved.
1895		C. Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict 4: Attic, the head.
1881		Newcastle Courant 9 Sept. 6/5: Sam was an ‘out-f-the-way’ sort of fellow. His ’attic was well stored with salt’.
1912		P. MacKaye Sam Average in Mayorga (1919) 13: His top-loft leaks!
1915		T.A. Dorgan Indoor Sports 22 Jan. [synd. cartoon] Nobody home? Nobody ever rented that attic.
1920		Sydney Sportsman (Surry Hills, NSW) 14 July 7/4: [A] slip and heavy faII [...] knocking the bark off his forehead, and the senses out of his head. The marks still showed after nine days, and he still felt queer in the attic.
1926		Wood & Goddard Dict. Amer. Sl. 4: attic. Empty part of a house; hence head, upper story.
1930		Windsor and Richmond Gaz. (NSW) 14 Nov. 6/4: ‘Whoever the reporter was he must have been suffering with “white ants in his attic!”’.
1935		W. Coburn Law Rides the Range 92: Some one had mentioned Pay Dirt. The name hung among the cobwebs of my attic.
1944		‘Jiver’s Bible’ in D. Burley Orig. Hbk of Harlem Jive.
1968		‘Hy Lit’ Hy Lit’s Unbelievable Dict. of Hip Words 10: When you are reading this book, you are copping some knowledge and storing it in your attic.
1972		(con. 1916) G. Swarthout Tin Lizzie Troop (1978) 225: Only the Good Lord can help her in the attic, which is where she needs it.
1978		W. Diehl Sharky’s Machine 272: I’m not saying he’s a goddamn loony bird. He’s just uh, ... a little loose in the attic.
1987		Boogie Down Productions ‘Criminally Minded’ 🎵 I’m not a musical maniac or b-boy fanatic / I simply made use of what was upstairs in the attic.
1989		H. Rawson Dict. of Invective (1991) 372: To say that someone is food for the squirrels, has squirrels in the attic (or in the nut), is playing with squirrels, is squirrelly, or has walnut storage disease are just different ways of saying that other person is crazy, eccentric, or stupid.

2. the vagina.

1890–1904

Farmer & Henley Sl. and Its Analogues.

In phrases

have a guest in the attic (v.)

1. (also have toys in the attic) to be eccentric, to be insane, to be simple, childlike.

1970		J. Bouton Ball Four 158: Bertaina, Drabowski decided, was not too smart, and was flaky besides. So Drabowski called him ‘Toys in the Attic’.
1977		J. Sayles Union Dues (1978) 316: ‘Another one with toys in the attic,’ said Jackie to the men.
1983		S. King Different Seasons [ebook] Your dad was a loony [...] Loony’s kid, loony’s kid, your father’s got toys in the attic, kid, tough break.
1990		R.J. Rafalko Logic for an overcast Tuesday 133: Either my name is Rumpelstiltskin or you've got toys in the attic.
2010		A.C. Obscura Window with Minnie Moon [ebook] I’m an alcoholic addict with bipolar disorder / Got toys in the attic & I’m seeing your daughter.

2. to be drunk.

1933

‘William Juniper’ True Drunkard’s Delight 225: Our tippler [...] has a guest in the attic.

have squirrels in one’s attic (phr.)

(US) to be eccentric, to be insane.

1976

Jenkins & Shrake Limo 90: ‘Between you and I, the Big Guy’s wig has slipped [...] The Big Guy has got squirrels in his attic’.

loose in the attic (adj.)

see loose in the bean under bean n.¹

messy attic (n.)

(US black) hair in need of dressing.

1999–2002

M. Hanks Da Hip Hop Heezy 🌐 messy attic n. hair in need of a ‘do’.