high doh moment
- noun
- Informal
- Sending the wrong file to his client was a classic example of a high doh moment.
Examples
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When I locked myself out of the house, it was a real high doh moment.
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The team's loss was blamed on a high doh moment in the final seconds of the game.
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He realized his high doh moment only after sending the email to the wrong person.
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What a high doh moment!
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That was a real high doh moment for me!
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He realized his high doh moment when he accidentally spilled coffee on his presentation just before the meeting.
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During the quiz, forgetting to write his name was a major high doh moment for him.
Synonyms
A small wrong action that causes embarrassment or harm to people's trust
A careless mistake that causes problems or embarrassment
A serious, embarrassing mistake often caused by confusion or poor planning
A short embarrassing mistake you make
A small mistake that causes embarrassment or trouble
A noisy, worrying situation that causes trouble or embarrassment
How Foolish
Surface Forms
Morphology
The parts give useful clues: 'doh' marks an error, 'moment' denotes a point in time, and 'high' works as an intensifier, so a learner who knows the words can infer a meaning like 'a conspicuous or intense mistake.' However, 'doh' is informal/cultural slang (Simpsons interjection) and the exact phrasing is slangy and non‑standard, so the meaning is only partially predictable and some nuance may be missed.
Etymology
High doh moment comes from a famous cartoon where a character shouts doh when he realises he has made a silly mistake. High shows the mistake was big or very obvious, so the phrase means 'an occasion marked by a foolish mistake'.