on the blink

Idioms  

1. Also,. Malfunctioning, out of order, broken, as in The TV is on the blink again, or You drive—our car's on the bum. The first of these slangy expressions dates from the late 1800s and possibly alludes to an electric light that flickers on and off (“blinks”); the second, from the same period, possibly is derived from bum in the sense of “a contemptible person”; the third, fritz, dating from about 1900, is of unknown origin.

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Example Sentences

Phone batteries ran down, TVs were on the blink and for many Spaniards their only lifeline to the outside world was from a car or battery-operated radio, as radio stations soldiered on through the blackout.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2025

Shortly after midnight, Corrigan’s television went on the blink and he traipsed outside the couple’s home on the island of Anglesey in north Wales to fiddle with the satellite dish.

From The Guardian • Feb. 24, 2020

The city opened a handful of self-cleaning toilet kiosks, but they were often on the blink.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 5, 2017

Since 2014 — when the monument reopened after damage from a 2011 earthquake was repaired — one of the most important elevators in Washington has been on the blink 24 times.

From Washington Post • Aug. 19, 2016

She does yoga and hums like a heater on the blink.

From "The Skin I'm In" by Sharon G. Flake