Idiom
cock-up
Meanings
a serious mistake or blunder, often caused by bad planning or incompetence
Definition
A cock-up is a serious mistake or blunder, especially one caused by poor organization.
A cock-up is a British informal word for a big mistake or failure. It often suggests that the problem happened because someone planned badly or handled things incompetently. People use it to criticise how something was done, especially in work or public services.
Examples
- The delayed trains were blamed on a major cock-up in the control room.
- I made a complete cock-up of the booking and we missed the flight.
- There was a cock-up with the invoices, so no one got paid on time.
- The event turned into a cock-up when the caterers arrived at the wrong venue.
Common mistake
Learners often use this in formal writing, but cock-up is informal and can sound rude, so use it mainly in casual speech.
More at B2 level
- Bob's your uncle Used to say that something will be easy or will happen exactly as expected after a simple step.
- touch base To touch base means to briefly contact someone to share updates, confirm plans, or check progress.
- ballpark figure A ballpark figure is an approximate number or estimate, not an exact one.
- take the mickey To take the mickey means to mock someone or tease them in an unkind or cheeky way.
- cheap as chips Very cheap; costing very little money.