ˌOne Flew ˌOver the ˈCuckoo's ˌNest BrE AmE
a novel by the US writer Ken Kesey, that was made into a successful film with Jack Nicholson. The main character in the story, McMurphy, pretends to be mad in order to get out of prison and is sent to a mental hospital. While there, he opposes the authority of the nurse who controls his ↑ ward , and encourages other patients to think for themselves instead of always following orders. But by the end of the novel MacMurphy has had a ↑ lobotomy (=had part of his brain removed) . He is completely unable to think or act for himself and the Nurse once again has control over her patients.