howler

American  

[hou-ler] / ˈhaʊ lər /

noun

1. a person, animal, or thing that howls.

2. Also called howler monkey.  any large, prehensile-tailed tropical American monkey of the genus Alouatta, the males of which make a howling howling noise: some species are endangered.

3. a mistake, especially an embarrassing one in speech or writing, that evokes laughter; a very humorous mistake or a funny blunder.

4. Informal. something that makes a piercing and often prolonged noise, as an alarm.

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howler British  

/ ˈhaʊlə /

noun

1. Also called: howler monkey.  any large New World monkey of the genus Alouatta, inhabiting tropical forests in South America and having a loud howling cry

2. informal a glaring mistake

3. (formerly) a device that produces a loud tone in a telephone receiver to attract attention when the receiver is incorrectly replaced

4. a person or thing that howls

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Etymology

Origin of howler

First recorded in 1790–1800; howl + -er ¹

Example Sentences

Lawyers often stretch the facts to make their case, but even so, this was quite the howler from U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal

When one agent was pregnant and went on maternity leave, they brought a rattle made from the throat of a howler monkey for the baby to play with.

From BBC

On occasion those offering a majority opinion screech like howler monkeys.

From Salon

Non-human primates, including howler monkeys and sloths, can also be infected with Oropouche, which is why the disease is sometimes nicknamed “sloth fever.”

From Salon

On a night of redemption for the England defender, Mings returned to the scene of his howler - and helped Villa take a huge step towards the quarter-finals of European football's most prestigious competition.

From BBC

Related Words

• blunder
• failure
• fault
• flaw
• glitch
• inaccuracy
• lapse
• miscalculation
• miscue
• misdeed
• mismanagement
• misstep
• misunderstanding
• offense
• omission
• sin
• transgression
• wrongdoing