clangers

Loud ringing mistakes

Clangers are conspicuous mistakes or blunders, especially embarrassing verbal gaffes: He dropped a real clanger when he called the CEO by the wrong name.

British in origin, the word evokes the loud clang of something going obviously, publicly wrong.

To drop a clanger is the standard phrase.

In American English, the singular clanger can mean any resounding error.

blunder

gaffe

Clumsy social error

  • faux pasSocial misstep or indiscretion
  • blooperEmbarrassing recorded mistake
  • howlerEmbarrassingly obvious mistake

slip-up · flub · goof · botch · bungle · mishap · misstep · error · oversight · snafu

sound

gong

Struck metal disc

  • bellHollow resonating instrument
  • cymbalStruck metal percussion disc
  • chimeMelodic bell sound

toll · peal · knell · ringing · reverberation · metallic · resonance · din · racket · clatter

british-tv

Major

High-ranking army officer

  • MotherFemale parent as title
  • moonNatural planetary satellite
  • knittingLoop-based textile making

whistling · stop-motion

Categories
Opposites
mistake severity

clangerssuccesses

Favorable outcomes achieved

triumphs · masterstrokes · coups · bull's-eyes · wins

social/public reception

clangerscrowd-pleasers

Reliably popular entertainment choices

showstoppers · standing ovations · rave reviews

auditory metaphor

clangerssilences

Stops from speaking

whispers · harmonies · dulcet tones · soft landings

Phrases
Family

clanged, clanger

Familiarity
Top 500,000
Profile
Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G