Green’s Dictionary of Slang

absolutely crazy, thus attrib.

[1791		‘Brother Rook’ Willy Wood & Greedy Grizzle 21: ‘Thou’s stark-mad wrong, my bonny hinny’].
1914		Bulletin (Sydney) 9 July 10/3: The Rev. Worrall, who [...] was shocked to see John Murray at a recent Yarraside boxing match [...] would be driven stark, staring dippy if he put in an evening at the Sydney Stadium.
1914		Bulletin (Sydney) 19 Nov. 14/4: ‘He’s shtark starin!’ sez the managemint.
1940		E. O’Neill Iceman Cometh Act I: Be God, this bughouse will drive me stark, raving loony yet!
1949		H. Miller Sexus (1969) 458: I tremble when I think what it would do to me [...] I think I’d become stark-raving lunatic.
1956		J. Curtis Look Long Upon a Monkey 77: If he’d learned Valerie was the one who’d lured him to the cosh-boys, he’d have gone stark, raving mad, but starkers.
1957		G. Kersh Fowlers End (2001) 138: Is everybody stark staring?
1958		A. Buckeridge Jennings’ Little Hut 76: I thought [...] you’d gone stark raving bats and I should have to humour you.
1958		T. Capote Breakfast at Tiffany’s 87: Are you starkers?
1958		K. Amis letter 24 May in Leader (2000) 535: Oh God I’m mad aren’t I what was I thinking of when I agreed to do it stark staring bonkers.
1960		G.W. Target Teachers (1962) 188: She’s the one that went stark raving bonkers.
1963		F. Kohner Affairs of Gidget 70: Such a scream of joy that you’d have thought someone had gone stark in a loony bin.
1970		J. Conaway Big Easy 184: Starkers. Madness arrives on ferocious wings: starkers and ravers.
1970		H.E. Bates A Little of What You Fancy (1985) 483: It was the only thing to save her from going completely stark, staring crackers.
1979		F. Norman Too Many Crooks Spoil the Caper 119: The bruvvers’ll go stark ravin’ bonkers over this.
1993		K. Lette Foetal Attraction (1994) 105: What a stark-raving bonkers, totally moronic numbskull.
1993		News-Jrnl (Mansfield, OH) 6 Sept. 1/4: Parents not driven stark staring bonkers by the phenomenon will spend more than $20 million [...] on related merchandise.
1998		P. McCabe Breakfast on Pluto 87: Had gone stark, raving bonkers over me.
2000		Guardian Weekend 8 Apr. 77: She’s not stark staring bonkers in a homicidal way.
2003		Green Bay Press-Gaz. (WI) 10 Nov. 31/2: A person adjuged ‘raving bonkers’ or ‘stark staring bonkers’ is not someone you want to sit next to on the subway.