gremlin
Americannoun
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a mischievous invisible being, said by airplane pilots in World War II to cause engine trouble and mechanical difficulties.
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any cause of trouble, difficulties, etc., especially in a mechanical, electrical, computer, or other system.
A loose wire was the gremlin that blew out the lights.
noun
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an imaginary imp jokingly said to be responsible for malfunctions in machinery
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any mischievous troublemaker
Related Words
See goblin.
Etymology
Origin of gremlin
First recorded in 1925–30; of obscure origin; in its earliest attested use, an RAF term for a low-ranking officer or enlisted man assigned the most onerous duties; later development perhaps affected by phonetic resemblance to goblin
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“I’m calling it a little gremlin in my ribcage,” Turner joked.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 22, 2022
It came after a difficult night for Red Bull, in which they made a number of changes to the car chasing a technical gremlin.
From BBC • Apr. 10, 2022
But if you are plant-based and seeking to appease the dopamine gremlin in your brain with a quick hit, then these KFC Beyond nuggets are worth a try.
From Salon • Feb. 12, 2022
He wrote on Instagram, "I knew the game was still going I left cause I’m super gremlin."
From Fox News • Jan. 3, 2022
Nevertheless, the commander was not prepared to risk a computer crash in the middle of an alert, and so doused his cigar in the coffee cup of a passing gremlin.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
