as in shambles
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Recent Examples of Synonyms for cock-up
Noun
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This might seem like a minor quibble, but the fact that the new movie botches the whole wait-what-did-they-actually-do-last-summer thing speaks to a prevailing sense of laziness.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
16 July 2025 -
The 10-member panel’s first time out, in 2022, was a total botch, as the process was unconstitutionally hijacked by Democrats in the Legislature until it was stopped by the state’s highest court.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
19 June 2025
Noun
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If the mess-maker is solid, use a spatula, dull kitchen knife, or the edge of a credit card to lift it from the surface of the upholstery.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
6 Sep. 2025
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The first crazy thing that happens to the movie Smurls is when a kitchen chandelier almost falls on them, though the most visceral is when oldest sister Dawn Smurl (Beau Gadsdon) suddenly vomits up pieces of glass, leaving the sink and her face a bloody mess.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The Cracker Barrel fiasco is a classic that business schools will study for decades.—
Jess Collen,
Forbes.com,
30 Aug. 2025
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But the oil field fiasco underscores the challenges China faces in achieving its goals.—
Anthony Kuhn,
NPR,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
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At the moment, official policy appears to be a complete muddle.—
Bill McKibben,
New Yorker,
26 Aug. 2025
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Direct lines of contact between the two powers devolved into a muddle of nuclear threats, insults and ultimatums.—
Simon Shuster,
Time,
8 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Recently published studies about people affected by the Maui and Los Angeles fires showed that beyond affecting heart and lung function and interrupting access to medical care, these climate disasters have led to higher rates of depression and even suicide.—
Lahari Vuppaladhadiam,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
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As someone who evacuated but was still directly impacted by the storm, Shepard used her lived experience to influence her research on colonial disasters.—
Essence,
Essence,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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On the other hand, the Cracker Barrel debacle touched so many live wires of American politics that the story was simply irresistible.—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
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That alone is enough to extinguish whatever lingered from Tuesday night’s debacle.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Cock-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cock-up. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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