clanger

Everyday

1. (informal, UK) A clanger is a silly, embarrassing mistake, especially something you say that you should not have said. tree →
2. «Drop a clanger» means to make such an embarrassing mistake. tree →
3. Rarely, a clanger is something that makes a loud clanging noise, like a bell clapper. tree →

In the lessons

In everyday talk and stories it marks a moment of embarrassment: someone said the wrong thing at the wrong time. It tells the reader the mistake was obvious and awkward, often funny, but not wicked. Phrase: drop a clanger, a real clanger.

Examples

• Dad dropped a clanger when he asked Mrs Green when her baby was due — she wasn't pregnant. tree →
• Calling the new teacher by the old teacher's name was a bit of a clanger. tree →
• I dropped a right clanger in the quiz and said that spiders were insects. tree →
• The referee's decision was a total clanger, and everybody groaned. tree →
• Oops, that was a clanger — I told Mum about her surprise party. tree →
• The goalkeeper's clanger let in an easy goal. tree →
• The old bell's iron clanger was rusty. tree →

Note

Countable: a clanger, clangers. Informal; fine in conversation, not in an exam essay — there you would write «an embarrassing mistake» or «a blunder». Mostly British, Irish, Australian and NZ English; Americans more often say «a goof» or «a blooper».