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blooey

blooey

1 9.9
A sudden break or failure that makes something stop working
  • noun
  • /ˈbluːi/
  • Slang
translation icon : explosión
  • When the old factory equipment malfunctioned, it went blooey and caused extensive damage.
  • go blooey

Examples

  • This computer's getting all frigging blooey on me.

  • So when that bomb went KA-BLOOEY and the electromagnetic pulse turned all the ones and zeros into plain ol' zeros, everyone's like "no way."

    Fiction book (2000)
  • After the power surge, the entire system went blooey and stopped working.

  • The car's engine went blooey just miles from our destination.

Synonyms

disaster
vsblooey
1.0

A sudden event that causes great damage, loss, or failure

focuses on sudden failures that destroy or make things unusable
destruction
vsblooey
849 3.0

Severe damage that makes something no longer exist or cannot be fixed

is the sudden event or failure that leads to that level of damage
bomb
vsblooey
  • Informal
139 5.6

A complete failure, for example a show or plan that no one likes

means an actual destructive failure that breaks or ruins physical items
meltdown
vsblooey
95 5.8

A sudden total failure that causes serious damage to a system

covers sudden destructive failures that may not be totally catastrophic
breakdown
vsblooey
79 4.4

A failure in a system or relationship that stops it working properly

is used for sudden destructive events rather than slow loss of function
debacle
vsblooey
75 8.5

A sudden complete failure that causes public embarrassment or big loss

stresses actual destruction that makes things unusable rather than just collapse
wipeout
vsblooey
3 6.3

Complete destruction that leaves nothing left

also covers sudden failures that stop use without total elimination
8.6

A joking way to say a sudden violent failure of a rocket or satellite, often an explosion

is the nontechnical name used outside specialist or humorous contexts
unplanned disassembly
vsblooey
  • Jargon
8.3

A sudden violent break of a machine or structure that makes it fall apart

is the plain term for such sudden destructive failures
sudden breakdown
vsblooey
3.5

An unexpected failure of a machine that stops it working

tends to imply actual destruction or making items unusable not just stopping

Antonyms

441 2.6

To work in a particular role or job

365 1.0

To fix something that is broken or not working

How Severe

catastrophic
144 7.0
blooey
  • Slang
1 9.9
breakdown
79 4.4
malfunction
96 4.5
problem
1.2
fault
69 3.2

Surface Forms

blooey singular
blooeys plural

Etymology

As a noun, blooey likely grew from blow meaning a sudden hit or 'blast' and came to mean a sudden explosion or breakdown. That's why calling something a blooey means it has failed or been destroyed at once.