Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(US) crazy, insane, unbalanced.

1917		Goodwin’s Wkly (Salt Lake City, UT) 3 Mar. 7/2: Wild-ass performances by pacifists who say that the lress is subsidized for [...] War by British gold.
1954		(con. 1920s–30s) J.O. Killens Youngblood (1956) 107: Keep your eyes on that wild-ass white gal.
1969		D. Pendleton Executioner (1973) 179: Maybe Chopper’s wild-ass charge was what sent all these bunnies hopping along the trail.
1973		S. Ace Stand On It (1979) 228: It’s a goddam wild-assed sensation to drive a car at speed.
1976		P. Conroy Great Santini (1977) 236: They think they’re in the clutches of a wildass killer.
1987		(con. 1967) E. Spencer Welcome to Vietnam (1989) 265: He lets go when he sees my face – I can get a wild-ass look sometimes.
1991		B. McCarthy Vice Cop 223: ‘[W]e were also wrong to think that this gang was just an aberration. They were more than extremely dangerous, wild-assed punks’.
2004		J. Ellroy ‘Jungletown Jihad’ in Destination: Morgue! (2004) 372: We’ve got wild-ass A-rabs up the wazoo.

uncontrolled, unrestrained.

1951		Kerouac On the Road (The Orig. Scroll) (2007) 209: George Washington was a wildbuck Indian fighter. [Ibid.] 261: Every now and then you’d go mad and ride with the wildbuck gang.
1957		Kerouac On The Road (1972) 88: Her brother was a wild-buck Mexican hotcat.

(US) something or someone unknown or unpredictable.

[1904		N.Y. Times 22 May 11/4: Dick [Foote] was a wild card. Too mad a bohemian to fit in with Eastern tastes, yet a fine actor and a ripe Shakespearean scholar].
1961		Radio Times (London) 153 30/3: The main point is that a ‘wild card’ can become anything — like Walter Mitty in his dreams.
1967		H.S. Thompson letter 11 Oct. in Proud Highway (1997) 645: Tell Hinckle he’d better take some liver exercises ... and also to get braced for my wild card.
1990		J. Wambaugh Golden Orange (1991) 267: The guy was a wild card.
1999		Guardian Rev. 28 Aug. 5: A wild card, and the most likeable of the shortlist.
2000		P. Cornwell Last Precinct 9: She’s a wild card, Doc.
2015		(con. 1919) C. Fountain Betrayal 137: [K]nowledge of the fix had spread beyond the closed circle of players and gamblers, and that there were wild cards out there, such as the two women in Chicago.

see separate entries.

a fiery drink.

1725		J. Sheppard Sheppard in Egypt 17: He grew out of Patience, and order’d a dozen Balls of Wild-fire to be ramm’d down my Throat to clear my Utterance.
1756		W. Toldervy Hist. of the Two Orphans III 112: Taking a dirty paper out of her bosom, in which was written the following words: Tape, glim, rushlight, white port, rasher of bacon, gunpowder, slug, wild-fire, knock-me-down, and strip-me-naked.

(US) a theory, poss. extravagant; thus wild-haired adj.

1933		G. Milburn No More Trumpets 45: A few of them might have some wild-haired ideas.
1956		‘Ed Lacy’ Men from the Boys (1967) 75: I’m not saying this is the blueprint, and I know it’s a wild hair, but I think it’s worth looking into.
1977		J. Olsen Secret of Fire Five 43: Plummer got a wild hair that he was some kind of gourmet chef, and damn near poisoned us.
1982		W. Wharton Midnight Clear 138: We can’t risk the squad on a wild-haired guess like this.

a dissolute young man, a rake.

a.1564		Becon Nosegay in Works (1843) 204: The tailors now-a-days are compelled to excogitate, invent, and imagine diversities of fashions for apparel, that they may satisfy the foolish desire of certain light rains and wild oats, which are altogether given to new fangleness [N].
1599		H. Porter Two Angry Women of Abington F: phil.: No sweete pinckanie. mal.: O, ist you wilde oates? phil.: I forsooth wanton.
1602		How a Man may chuse a Good Wife n.p.: Well, go to, wild oats! spendthrift! prodigal! [N].
1616		W. Haughton English-Men For My Money C4: You mad-man, mad-cap, wild-oates; we are for you.
1627		J. Taylor ‘An Armado’ in Works (1869) I 78: Their Drinke was brewed with a malt, made only with Wild-oats, but instead of Hops, there was store of Rue, with a little Hearts-ease.

(UK Und.) a dedicated professional villain.

c.1561		Awdeley Fraternitye of Vacabondes in Viles & Furnivall (1907) 5: A wilde Roge is he that hath no abiding place but by his coulour of going abrode to beg, is commonly to seeke some kinsman of his, and all that be of hys corporation be properly called Roges.
c.1566		Harman Caveat for Common Cursetours in Viles & Furnivall (1907) 41: A Wilde Roge is he that is borne a Roge: he is a more subtil and more geuen by nature to all kinde of knauery then the other, as beastely begotten in barne or bushes, and from his infancye traded vp in trechery; yea, and before ripenes of yeares doth permyt, wallowinge in lewde lechery, but that is counted amongest them no sin.
1592		Groundworke of Conny-catching [as cit. c.1566].
1608		Dekker The Belman of London D: These Wilde Rogues (like wild geese) keepe in flocks and all the day loyter in the fields, if the weather be warme, and at the Brick-hills, or else disperse themselues, in colde weather, to rich mens doores.
1611		Middleton & Dekker Roaring Girle V i: Tearcat what are you ? a wild rogue, an angler, or a ruffler?
1669		W. Winstanley New Help To Discourse 130: Wilde Rogues, are such as are begotten of Rogues, and marked for villains in their swadling Clouts, which all their lives after they put in practice.
1674		Head Canting Academy (2nd edn) 46: Wild Rogues were formerly such who were begotten by very Rogues, such who had been burnt in the hand or shoulder, or bee whipt at the Carts arse.
1688		R. Holme Academy of Armory Ch. iii item 68b: Give me leave to give you the names (as in their Canting Language they call themselves) of all (or most of such) as follow the Vagabond Trade, according to their Regiments or Divisions, as [...] Wild Rogues, Mad Men, Bedlams, called also Mad Toms.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Wild Rogues c. the fifth Order of Canters, such as are train’d up from Children to Nim Buttons off Coats, to creep in at Cellar and Shop-Windows, and to slip in at Doors behind People, also that have been whipt, Burnt in the Fist and often in Prison for Roguery.
1719		in D’Urfey Pills to Purge Melancholy IV 200: Now they have gotten a thin pair of Brogues, / And into the Woods among the wild Rogues.
1725		New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Wild rogues, Rogues trained up to stealing from their cradles.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum [as cit. 1785].
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.

see under squirt n.

see separate entry.

(US campus) a dedicated hedonist.

1896

W.C. Gore Student Sl. in Cohen (1997) 23: wild Willy n. A dissipated fellow.

see mad as a meat axe under meat axe n.