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noun

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flaw - A mark, fault, or other imperfection that mars a substance or object

Supermodel Cindy Crawford's mole is viewed as a flaw that makes her even more beautiful.

noun

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glitch - A sudden, unexpected, and usually temporary malfunction of equipment such as a computer

The space shuttle take-off was canceled with 2 seconds left in the countdown, due to a glitch discovered in the fuel supply.

verb

See noun

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fumble - Use the hands clumsily while doing or handling something

The football player fumbled the ball, so the opposing players tried to grab it.

noun

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fiasco - A thing that is a complete failure, especially in a ludicrous or humiliating way

In the 1980s, Coca-Cola released New Coke, which ended up being one of the costliest business fiascos ever.

verb

See noun

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stumble - Trip or momentarily lose one's balance; almost fall

Danny ran too fast and stumbled, spilling his coffee on the floor.

noun

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boondoggle - Work or activity that is wasteful or pointless but gives the appearance of having value

When the funds dried up before the bridge could be finished, it turned into an expensive boondoggle that couldn't transport anybody.

noun

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gaffe - An unintentional act or remark causing embarrassment to its originator; a blunder

When the politician made a huge gaffe at the debate, he realized he was going to lose the election.

noun

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fluke - Unlikely chance occurrence, especially a surprising piece of luck

Since he was the worst player on his baseball team, Taylor knew the home run he had just hit was a fluke.

adjective

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spurious - False and incorrect

The teacher showed Max that his scientific conclusions were wrong because they were based on spurious facts and logic.

noun

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dud - A thing that fails to work properly or is otherwise unsatisfactory or worthless

The firework turned out to be a dud when it landed back on the ground.

verb

See noun

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flop - To fail

Sam put his product on Amazon, but when no one bought it, he saw that after all his effort and investment that it was going to flop.

noun

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snafu - A confused or chaotic state; a mess

A lack of funding led to the snafu of an incomplete bridge being built across the river.