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Glite Dictionary
to carry a tune in a bucket

to carry a tune in a bucket

9.1
To sing very badly and out of tune
  • idiom
  • Informal
: no tener oído
  • Many people in our society believe that they are tone deaf and often joke that they "can't carry a tune in a bucket."

Examples

  • Meanwhile, Gloria's sister from Schenectady was belting it out, and that woman couldn't carry a tune in a bucket.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • I can't carry a tune in a bucket, but I love singing along to my favorite songs.

  • Many people in our society believe that they are tone deaf and often joke that they "can't carry a tune in a bucket."

    Academic text (1993)

  • She couldn't carry a tune in a bucket, but there were lyric and dramatic qualities to her voice, a range in pitch when she was telling a story, an expressiveness...

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Despite her enthusiasm, she really can't carry a tune in a bucket when it comes to singing.

  • He jokes that he must have two left feet and can't carry a tune in a bucket at all.

Synonyms

to carry a note in a bucket
vsto carry a tune in a bucket
  • Informal
9.9

To be unable to sing in tune

expresses very poor pitch or general inability rather than complete failure

How Accurate

to sing
∞ 1.0
out of tune
12 3.3
to carry a tune in a bucket
  • Informal
9.1

Surface Forms

carry a tune in a bucket infinitive
carried a tune in a bucket past
carried a tune in a bucket past participle
carrying a tune in a bucket present participle
carries a tune in a bucket third person singular

Morphology

carry + a + tune + in + a + bucket

The core collocation 'carry a tune' is partly derivable from 'carry' + 'tune'—it points to producing or maintaining a melody, so learners who know those words may guess it relates to singing ability. However the usual usage is idiomatic (often negative: 'can't carry a tune') and the added phrase 'in a bucket' is a hyperbolic, non-literal intensifier, so the exact meaning and pragmatic force are not fully predictable without exposure.

Etymology

Carry a tune in a bucket may come from the funny image of trying to carry a clear tune inside a bucket, which would make the sound get lost or sound bad. So the phrase means 'to sing very badly'.