thud and blunder
- noun
- Informal
:
errores torpes
- Management blamed the project's failure on a thud and blunder approach to problem-solving.
Examples
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The company's thud and blunder strategy cost them both time and money.
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The project ended in a complete thud and blunder.
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Instead of careful planning, their progress was hampered by constant thud and blunder.
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What a thud and blunder!
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Management blamed the project's failure on a thud and blunder approach to problem-solving.
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The company's thud and blunder strategy cost them both time and money.
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Instead of careful planning, their progress was hampered by constant thud and blunder.
Synonyms
2
5.8
A series of mistakes that cause funny, confusing problems
1
5.8
Clumsy, awkward behavior that causes mistakes or confusion
1
9.9
A clumsy, broad way of solving a problem that tries many things at once
A quick, careless way of doing something that causes mistakes
A chaotic rushed situation that happens because of poor planning
Antonyms
How Careless
Surface Forms
Morphology
The element 'blunder' directly signals mistakes, so a learner who knows the words can infer the phrase relates to errors; however 'thud' contributes a metaphorical sense of clumsiness or heavy impact rather than a literal sound, and the pairing is somewhat idiomatic and not a standard compositional pattern. Because the connection is partly clear but relies on metaphor/idiom and prior exposure for full nuance, it is best classed as semi-transparent.
Etymology
Thud and blunder gives a clear image: a loud thud, a heavy bang, and a clumsy blunder, a big mistake, like someone bumping around and causing errors. That's why it means 'a clumsy, careless way of doing things'.