flub

Definition

An error; a mistake in the performance of an action.

Etymology

Possibly suggested by fluff and flop. First appeared in the US as a verb c. 1924, and as a noun c. 1953.

Example Sentences

• "1962 November 6, Richard Nixon, “Gentlemen, this is my last press conference”, 2008, Rick Perlstein (editor), Richard Nixon: Speeches, Writings, Documents, page 111, I made a talk on television, a talk in which I made a flub—one of the few that I make, not because I′m so good on television but because I′ve been doing it a long time. I made a flub in which I said I was running for governor of the United States."
• "A flub can be a slight cinematic slip-up or a major gaffe."
• "The pressure public speaking puts on a person will occasionally cause these little flubs, so don′t panic when they happen to you. The worst way to deal with a flub is to panic and make a big deal out of it."