Idiom
pear-shaped
Meanings
To go wrong or fail, especially after starting well.
Definition
If something goes pear-shaped, it goes wrong or fails, often unexpectedly.
If a plan, situation, or event goes pear-shaped, it stops working as intended and becomes a mess. It often suggests that things were going fine until a problem appeared. This idiom is especially common in British English and is informal.
Examples
- Everything was on schedule until the delivery went pear-shaped.
- The meeting went pear-shaped when the video call dropped repeatedly.
- Our weekend trip went pear-shaped after the car broke down.
- The deal looked solid, but it went pear-shaped at the last minute.
Common mistake
Learners sometimes use pear-shaped to describe a literal shape or a person's body, but in this idiom it means a situation has gone wrong.
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.
More idiom (adjective phrase)s
- cheap as chips Very cheap; costing very little money.
- chuffed to bits Very pleased and proud about something.
- easy as pie Used to say that something is very easy to do or understand.
- right as rain Completely well again, or in perfect condition.
- thick as two short planks Extremely stupid or slow to understand.