ˈbasket case noun [countable]

1. informal someone who you think is crazy Synonym : nut case

2. a country with many severe economic and social problems that are likely to continue for a long time

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

basket case
1.
someone who is crazy and unable to organize their life.
She'll never get a job. She's a basket case.

2.
a very poor country which needs economic help from other countries, or a business that is in a very bad financial situation.
Twenty years ago the country was an economic basket case.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

basket case
n., slang, also informal
1. A person who has had both arms and both legs cut off as a result of war or other misfortune.
2. A helpless person who is unable to take care of himself, as if carted around in a basket by others.
Stop drinking, or else you'll wind up a basket case!

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲