Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. mildly drunk.

1984

Partridge DSUE (8th edn) 114/2: since ca. 1920.

2. (orig. RN, also bonko) stupid, insane, eccentric; spec. in phrs. do one’s bonkers,drive bonkers, go bonkers (on).

1914		Sport (Adelaide) 1 May 3/7: What did Doss K. go honkas [sic] on Elsie G. for on Saturday?
1943		‘Henry Green’ Caught (2001) 150: Watch yerself, mate, you’ll be goin’ pickin’ violets off of stones before you’re finished, stone bonk, you will.
1952		Britannia & Eve (London)1 Mar. 10/2: ‘What are you bawlin’ about?’ asked Shorty, looking around. ‘Gone bonkers or what?’.
1957		Gemini I:3 45: You gone bonkers? Get ya stuff on ‘n’ get artside before I ’ave ya run in!
1958		F. Norman Bang To Rights 152: ‘Your bonkers,’ I spluttered.
1960		B. Kops Dream of Peter Mann Act II: I’m mad – I’m crazy, I’m stone bonks – I should be locked away giving such bargains.
1961		(con. WW2) R. Poole London E1 (2012) 188: ‘If I stay up there on me own for long, I’ll start doin’ me bonkers’.
1962		M.K. Joseph Pound of Saffron 43: ‘Now Ezra Pound . . . ’ said Sparling. ‘. . . is officially bonkers,’ said Peter Dent.
1967		Minn. Star (MN) 22 Dec. 9/1: The final tipoff that she [i.e.a cat with dementia] has gone completely bonkers occurred Thursday.
1968		A. Burgess Enderby Outside in Complete Enderby (2002) 304: The Yank junks go bonko for it.
1972		J. Speight ‘The Bird Fancier’ Till Death Us Do Part [TV script] Yer ... stone bonker annit?
1978		L. Kramer Faggots 328: He watches her go bonkers before his very eyes.
1980		(con. 1940s) O. Manning Sum of Things 459: I was pretty nearly bonkers and for no reason.
1990		Beano Comic Library No. 190 66: What a funny couple! Bonkers! Both!
2001		Sizzlin’ Sixteen 2001 🌐 After her memorable turns as a [...] a bonkers bathing beauty in Psycho Beach Party and a shy townie who learns about herself over the course of a summer in Swimming, she’s landed a page in the ‘ones to watch’ book.
2007		S. Maloney Sucked In 224: Gilpin’s stony-broke and woofing bonkers.
2010		Guardian 18 Dec. 24/2: His rival [...] made him seem quite bonkers .
2014		S.A. Cosby ‘Grandpa’s Place’ in ThugLit Sept. [ebook] Tony’s mom, who was already a few bricks shy of a load, went completely bonkers.
2015		C.A. Lee Murders at White House Farm (2016) 85: His reaction was to dismiss Sheila as ‘going bonkers’.
2017		T. Spicer Good Girl Stripped Bare 124: ‘Our fridge is driving us bonkers [...] Nowhere near big enough’.
2020		Guardian G2 10 Apr. 4/2: The double-act were as radical as they were bonkers.
2020		A. Parks Bobby March Will Live Forever 93: Harry remembered what it was about Margery that drove him bonkers. She never shut up.
2021		P Howard Braywatch 56: ‘She is crazy lady.’ ‘She’s head-in-the-fridge bonkers. I’m not denying it.’.
2022		Wash. Post (DC) 27 Sept. 🌐 [T]he new Conservative government led by Prime Minister Liz Truss faces almost no constraints. She was expected to be bold. She is turning out to be bonkers.