on the blink
Not working right
On the blink describes something malfunctioning or working erratically, especially electronics or machinery: The TV's been on the blink all week.
The phrase suggests intermittent failure rather than complete breakdown—something that flickers in and out of working order.
British English uses on the blink more broadly for anything going wrong, including health: My back's been on the blink.
- wonkyUnsteady or faulty
- haywireErratically malfunctioning
- breakdownFailure or decomposition
- acting upBehaving badly or failing
- crashSudden violent impact
gone haywire · fix · cutting out · giving out · out of order · glitch · gone wrong · defect · malfunctioning · short-circuit · janky · not working · screwy · on the fritz · misfire · snag · fritz · error
- nonfunctionalbroken, malfunctioning, inoperative, out of order, nonfunctional
- brokenbroken, busted, broken down, out of order, not working
on the blinkworking
In active function
functioning · operational · in working order · up and running · functional
on the blinkbrand new
Completely unused, just acquired
good as new · in mint condition · dead · kaput · toast
on the blinkreliable
Consistently performing as expected
dependable · rock-solid · trustworthy · steady · consistent
blink, blinking, blinked, blinks, blinker, blinkers, unblinking, blinky