Take the 2-minute tour ×  Why are crazy people called nut jobs?
Why are they called a job? Wiktionary is of no help here.
share|improve this question  8 Answers 8  up vote 27 down vote
accepted  Maybe looking at its origin will help.
SlangDictionary.com defines "nut-job" as:  a more recent
variation of nut-case  "Nut-case" being:  a crazy person. A
slang version of ‘mental case’ which spread from American speech
into British usage at the end of the 1950s.  Thus, if "nut-job"
was a mere variant of "nut-case", then, "job" would make sense.
A "case" has two meanings:  a person or thing whose plight or
situation calls for attention: A piece of work, specifically
defined within a profession.  The second meaning of "case" is
synonymous with "job", and thus, in when "nut-case" was given a
variation, its synonym "job" was taken and used. Thus, there
would be a logical reason why "job" is used here.  share|improve
this answer I agree - I think this is closer to the meaning that
the other 'object of particular type' e