half-cocked
Americanadjective
-
(of a firearm) at the position of half cock.
-
lacking mature consideration or enough preparation; ill-considered or ill-prepared; half-baked.
idioms
adjective
Etymology
Origin of half-cocked
First recorded in 1800–10
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.
Never has it been easier to go off half-cocked.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 5, 2023
To Rafael’s bildungsroman amid half-cocked terrorists and a love triangle with their leaders, add a spy-novel parody, a kaleidoscopic Christ narrative, a battery of literary references and a portrait of Cuban life under socialism.
From New York Times ● Sep. 2, 2022
If the hammer was quarter or half-cocked, the gun “could not be made to fire without a pull of the trigger,” per the report cited by ABC News.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 13, 2022
Even though Musk’s tactics this month appeared unconventional or even half-cocked, merger-and-acquisition experts say his strategy incorporated sound negotiation principles — with a twist of his distinctive, unpredictable style.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2022
Quackenbush took advantage of a break in this line of conversation to announce that he would certainly stay at Devon through the year, however half-cocked others might rush off.
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
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.
