the.com/blunder
A blunder is a mistake that arrives wearing a marching band and zero subtlety.
means A blunder is a clumsy, careless mistake — usually obvious and consequential — made through stupidity or inattention rather than bad luck.
from From Middle English 'blundren,' to stumble or move blindly. It's likely of Scandinavian origin, a cousin of Old Norse 'blunda,' meaning to shut the eyes or doze — which captures the idea perfectly: a blunder is the error of someone moving through the world half-asleep, eyes closed, knocking things over. The same family probably gives us 'blind' and 'blunt,' all clustered around that sense of dim, fumbling unawareness.
- chess sting
- Marked '??' so everyone knows you actively suffered
- old norse
- Likely from 'blundra,' to shut one's eyes
- size matters
- A blunder outranks a mere slip or error
- royal cousin
- 'Blunderbuss' means thunder-pipe, not clumsy gun
the hindenburg disaster — german zeppelin caught fire in new jersey, 1937, killing 35 of 97 aboard
new coke launch — coca-cola reformulated core product, 1985, reversed decision within 79 days due to public outcry
dewey defeats truman — chicago tribune headline called 1948 election wrong, truman won despite prediction