clanger

[ klang-er ]

noun
  1. a person or thing that clangs.

  2. British Slang. a blunder; faux pas.

Idioms about clanger

  1. drop a clanger, British Slang. to blunder.

Origin of clanger

1
First recorded in 1945–50; clang + -er1

Words Nearby clanger

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use clanger in a sentence

  • “But I fear there is clanger,” rejoined Karl, in a tone of undiminished anxiety.

    The Cliff Climbers | Captain Mayne Reid

British Dictionary definitions for clanger

clanger

/ (ˈklæŋə) /


noun
  1. informal a conspicuous mistake (esp in the phrase drop a clanger)

  2. something that clangs or causes a clang

Origin of clanger

1
C20: from clang, referring to a mistake whose effects seem to clang

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012