belfry

Everyday

1. The tower, or the room at the top of a tower, where church bells hang. tree →
2. (idiom) Have bats in the belfry: to be a bit crazy or odd (old-fashioned, jokey). tree →

In the lessons

In stories about old churches and castles a belfry is where bats and owls live and where bell-ringers climb. In history it shows how bells told villagers the time and warned of danger. Phrases: up in the belfry, bats in the belfry.

Examples

• Bats lived up in the belfry of the old church. tree →
• The bell-ringers climbed the steep stairs to the belfry. tree →
• The bells in the belfry rang out at noon. tree →
• (old-fashioned) "He's got bats in the belfry," said Grandad. tree →
• We could see the belfry from the village green. tree →
• Pigeons nested in the belfry. tree →
• As soon as the boy reached the belfry, and turned himself round to seize the rope, he saw upon the stairs, near the sounding-hole, a white figure. tree →

Note

Countable: belfries (y to ies). It is not related to the word "bell" in origin, though belfries hold bells. "Bats in the belfry" is a jokey and slightly unkind phrase.