miscue

¹ American  

[mis-kyoo] / mɪsˈkyu /

noun

1. a stroke in which the cue fails to make solid contact with the cue ball.

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verb (used without object)

miscued, miscuing

1. to make a miscue.

miscue ² American  

[mis-kyoo] / mɪsˈkyu /

noun

1. Sports. a failure to execute a play, stroke, or maneuver properly; an error.

2. Informal. a mistake.

3. Informal. to make a mistake.

4. Theater. to fail to answer one's cue or to answer another's cue.

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verb (used with object)

miscued, miscuing

1. to give the wrong cue to.

miscue British  

/ ˌmɪsˈkjuː /

noun

1. billiards a faulty stroke in which the cue tip slips off the cue ball or misses it altogether

2. informal a blunder or mistake

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verb

1. (intr) billiards to make a miscue

2. (intr) theatre to fail to answer one's own cue or answer the cue of another

3. radio to start (a record or tape) at the wrong point

4. informal (intr) to blunder

Etymology

Origin of miscue¹

First recorded in 1870–75; mis- ¹ + cue ²

Origin of miscue¹

First recorded in 1880–85; mis- ¹ + cue ¹

Example Sentences

After lunch, Starc bowled bouncers with as many as six fielders on the boundary and Brook, on 45, was fortunate when a miscue fell between three men.

From BBC

Three of the Rams’ four losses have resulted from major kicking-game miscues, and Blackburn’s firing was just the latest change made to solve the issues.

From Los Angeles Times

While Stokes was tight, Carse leaked 26 runs from three overs and gave way to Tongue, who enticed Head into a miscue to Crawley at deep square leg.

From BBC

Now’s the time to open up about your past parenting miscues.

From MarketWatch

If past is prologue, he will overreach in response to this week’s peace proffer, rejecting what many in his entourage would view as an attractive exit from a strategic miscue.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• blooper
• mistake