bum steer

American  

[buhm steer] / ˈbʌm ˌstɪər /

noun

Slang

1. a piece of erroneous or misleading information or advice.

   He's been our broker for ten years, and far too honest and knowledgeable to give us a bum steer.

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bum steer British  

noun

1. slang false or misleading information or advice

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bum steer Idioms  

1. False or misleading information; poor advice. For example, Gene felt his doctor had given him a bum steer, as he hadn't lost any weight on the diet. [Slang; c. 1920]

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Etymology

Origin of bum steer

First recorded in 1895–1900; bum ¹ ( def. ) (in the sense “of poor or unsatisfactory quality”) + steer ¹ ( def. ) (in the sense “a tip, hint on a course of action”

Example Sentences

But sometimes you can’t, like when you ask a chatbot a factual question and get a bum steer.

From The Wall Street Journal

There’s a proud skunk owner from Atlanta, a pizza deliveryman from San Bernardino and a bill collector from Denver given a bum steer while tracing a debt.

From Los Angeles Times

Greenhorns Stan and Ollie go to Brushwood Gulch with a gold-mine deed and get a bum steer.

From Los Angeles Times

One last note, one that almost became a rant that subsumed my entire newsletter today: I think Android users are getting a bum steer in 2020, and I blame Qualcomm and the US carriers.

From The Verge

The Fed is not alone in giving hypersensitive markets a bum steer in recent weeks.

From Reuters