clanger

[ klang-er ]

noun

1. a person or thing that clangs.
2. British Slang. a blunder; faux pas.

clanger

/ ˈklæŋə /

noun

1. informal.
   a conspicuous mistake (esp in the phrase drop a clanger )
2. something that clangs or causes a clang

Word History and Origins

Origin of clanger¹

First recorded in 1945–50; clang + -er ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of clanger¹

C20: from clang , referring to a mistake whose effects seem to clang

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. drop a clanger, British Slang. to blunder.

Example Sentences

“Here’s a clanger,” Sydney said, noticing an obvious mistake.

From Literature

Its flowers are extravagant, with an extra-long, maroon-purple clanger dangling from each fuchsia bell; its distinctive leaves are heart shaped, with toothed edges.

From Seattle Times

Speaking to BBC Radio Newcastle, she said North Tyneside Council officials had been "fully co-operative with the government since the discovery of the Indian variant in North Tyneside - then this little clanger's dropped into the works and nobody has been made aware".

From BBC

"Occasionally he came out with a real clanger, but mostly he was just trying to be pleasant and light-hearted," she added in a BBC Radio Devon interview.

From BBC

He’d been playing well before that clanger, as well.

From The Guardian