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Glite Dictionary
half-cock

half-cock

9.9
A messy situation when people do not plan enough
  • noun
  • Informal
translation icon : desorganización
  • He always starts projects at half-cock and often has to fix mistakes later.

Examples

  • Their plan went off at half-cock because they hadn't finished the research.

  • The meeting was held at half-cock, with no one sure of the agenda.

  • The project was in a state of half-cock due to poor planning.

  • After the last-minute changes, everything felt half-cock.

  • The team was in a state of half-cock during the presentation because they hadn't practiced.

  • Their event started at half-cock, leaving the guests confused about the schedule.

  • Without proper planning, the project was left in a chaotic half-cock state.

Synonyms

cockup
vshalf-cock
  • Slang
1 9.6

A serious mistake that happens because of confusion or poor planning

describes a wider chaotic state from poor preparation
total cocksplat
vshalf-cock
  • Offensive
9.9

A complete failure that leaves something ruined and unusable

focuses on a messy state from insufficient preparation rather than a single failure

How Prepared

preparedness
37 3.8
prepared
103 1.3
half-cock
  • Informal
9.9
unprepared
69 2.8

Surface Forms

half-cock singular
half-cocks plural

Morphology

half-cock = cock (semi-transparent) = half + cock

The formation 'half' + 'cock' is literal (partially cocked), but the figurative sense 'unprepared' is a metaphorical extension from the firearm sense that may not be obvious to all learners.

Etymology

Half-cock comes from old guns. To cock a gun is to pull the hammer back, and half-cock was the position between 'safe' and fully 'ready', not quite ready to fire. So, if someone acts half-cock, they do something 'not fully ready' and may make mistakes.