on the blink

Idioms and Phrases

Also, on the bum or fritz . Malfunctioning, out of order, broken, as in The TV is on the blink again , or You drive—our car's on the bum . The first of these slangy expressions dates from the late 1800s and possibly alludes to an electric light that flickers on and off (“blinks”); the second, from the same period, possibly is derived from bum in the sense of “a contemptible person”; the third, fritz , dating from about 1900, is of unknown origin.

Example Sentences

Black’s sense of danger appears to be on the blink at the critical moment in this Closed Sicilian, making an ill-fated pawn grab when Bodnaruk’s kingside build-up was already looking ominous: 20.

From Washington Times

Now banking is so automated that you can deposit a check using only your smartphone, and if your local bank’s ATM is on the blink, it will give directions to the nearest working ATM, rather than suggest you pop into the bank, the door of which is two feet away.

From Los Angeles Times

Cloud Cam also required a paid subscription for advanced features, although it offered some free options that require payment on the Blink Mini.

From The Verge

Related On the Blink: Why does Amazon hate its most enthusiastic smart home fans?

From The Verge

Morley claims he ended up having to pay for electricity to power the generators, which “kept going on the blink” resulting, he alleges, in “temperature spikes”.

From The Guardian