Funny farm

    精神病院这个短语的字面解释就是滑稽、古怪的农场，这是什么意思呢？请看对话：

    A: I happened to see a new building under construction in the suburbs. Do you know what it is?

    B: It was planned as a funny farm, though many people opposed the project.

    A: There are already several mental institutions in the city. There is really no need for another one.

    Note: This term refers to a psychiatric hospital. It is the slang use of the word “funny” to mean weird, unusual and the description of mad people as “funny in the head.” An early citation of “funny farm” is in John Knowles’ novel, set in Hew Hampshire, the United States — “A Separate Peace,” 1959: “You might start to believe it, then I’d have to make a reservation for you at the Funny Farm.” Other variants are “funny bin,” “funny place,” “funny house,” “funny factory,” etc.