thud and blunder

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English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

A spoonerism from blood and thunder.

Noun[edit]

thud and blunder (uncountable)

  1. (idiomatic) An adventure or active endeavor that is characterized by (often humorous) errors.
    • 1983, Gary Hoppenstand, Ray Broadus Browne, The Defective Detective in the Pulps, page 2:
      The hard-hitting, action packed, thud and blunder adventure fantasy was a commodity during that somber decade: Americans paid money to forget their troubles, and the pulps were willing to sell.
    • 2012, Lillian Stewart Carl, The Blue Hackle, page 5:
      Though history could still be perilous, as the thud and blunder of Jean's own, lowercase, romance had proved.
    • 2019 September 10, Phil McNulty, “'England horribly fallible in defence' against Kosovo in Euro 2020 qualifying”, in BBC Sport[1]:
      England manager Gareth Southgate will have struggled to decide whether his glass was half-full or half-empty as he reflected on a thud and blunder night against Kosovo at St Mary's