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Vocabulary : Slang : British : cock-up

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cock-up British English Offensive

Meaning: a big mistake, something done badly

For example:

  • We got some guy in to fix the water heater, but he's made a total cock-up of it. We still haven't got any hot water.

  • Did you see our newspaper advertisement with the wrong phone number in it? What a cock-up!

Variety: This slang is typically used in British English but may be used in other varieties of English too.

Quick Quiz:

There's been a cock-up with ticket sales. The concert hall can hold two thousand people, and they've sold
  1. 1,500 tickets
  2. 2,000 tickets
  3. 2,500 tickets

Discuss: cock-up

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