English Explanatory Dictionary

go pear-shaped

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb

To go awry; to go wrong.

Pronunciation

/ɡəʊ ˈpɛəʃeɪpt/ /ɡoʊ ˈpɛɚʃeɪpt/ En-au-go pear-shaped.ogg

Word forms

go pear-shaped goes pear-shaped going pear-shaped went pear-shaped gone pear-shaped go pearshaped go pear shaped

Etymology

Uncertain; the following etymologies have been suggested: * From the image of a solid rectangle “slipping down” into a pear shape, thus “the bottom drops out”. ** Similar thoughts about the work of either glassblowers or potters involve a theme of the work trending toward a sagging shape; such speculations may be only folk etymology. * From the image of a balloon or football losing its spherical shape after being punctured. * From an idea that people who shoulder the work — who have the responsibility on their shoulders — may descend into shirking, in which case their broad shoulders diminish as their body becomes pear-shaped. Apparently the term was originally Royal Air Force slang, but came into common use by the 1990s.

Synonyms

go downhill go down the toilet go Pete Tong go sideways go to pot go to shit go to the dogs turn pear-shaped

Antonyms

prosper do well do well for oneself gain grow thrive flourish succeed

Related words

pear-shaped play it pear-shaped

This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.

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