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We found several quotes explaining the title of the novel, which was later adapted by Stanley Kubrick. Author Anthony Burgess claims the phrase comes from Cockney slang, and refers to anything queer, strange, or unusual. Another Burgess quote from a Rolling Stone article explains it this way: "The title of the book comes from an old London expression, which I first heard from a very old Cockney in 1945: 'He's as queer as a clockwork orange' (queer meaning mad...). I liked the phrase because of its yoking of tradition and surrealism, and I determined some day to use it." Others have noted how the title craftily blends the automatic (clockwork) with the organic (orange), which is appropriate considering the profoundly screwed up mind of the main character, Alex. It also makes sense that the title comes from the vernacular, since the book is written in an imaginary future slang. The phrase "A Clockwork Orange" has held several other meanings over the years. According to Wikipedia, it's been used to refer to the Glasgow subway, the Dutch national soccer team, and a British military operation. Alex and his droogs would be proud they coined a phrase with so many uses.
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