Houston, we have a problem
1
7.1
- idiom
- Informal
:
Houston, tenemos un problema
- Don't say Houston, we have a problem!
Examples
-
Houston, we have a problem; the servers are all down this morning.
-
When the engine failed, the pilot calmly said, Houston, we have a problem.
-
Everyone was enjoying the event until someone spilled wine on the mayor—Houston, we have a problem.
-
When the project manager didn't show up, it was clear: Houston, we have a problem.
-
After discovering the major leak in the system, the technician exclaimed, "Houston, we have a problem!"
-
When the project deadline was moved up unexpectedly, the team realized, "Houston, we have a problem!"
-
Upon seeing the error in the calculations, she turned to her colleague and said, "Houston, we have a problem."
Synonyms
824
2.6
Find something difficult or annoying
41
3.0
A problem that needs careful attention and action
12
8.7
A playful informal word for a small problem
Surface Forms
Morphology
Houston, + we + have + a + problem
The utterance literally addresses 'Houston' to report that 'we have a problem', so a learner who knows 'we', 'have', and 'problem' can directly infer that a significant or unexpected problem is being reported; 'Houston' just marks the addressee. While the phrase is a cultural reference to Apollo 13 that can add idiomatic flavor, that background knowledge is not required for a B1 learner to understand the basic meaning.
Etymology
The phrase Houston, we have a problem comes from the Apollo 13 space flight, when astronauts told Houston they had an accident and serious trouble on their ship. That's why people now use it to say there is 'a big unexpected problem'.