🗓️ Idiom: Go Pear-Shaped (v)
💬 Meaning
- To go badly or fail after starting well.
- It means a plan or situation suddenly goes wrong.
🧠 Example Sentences
- Everything was fine until the software update went pear-shaped.
- The product launch went pear-shaped due to a server crash.
- Their plan to expand quickly went pear-shaped when funding was cut.
🏛️ Origin
This idiom is British in origin and became common in the 20th century. The exact source is unclear, but “pear-shaped” refers to something that is no longer balanced or neat — like a situation that has gone wrong.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
The software rollout started smoothly, but everything __________ when the servers crashed.
Answer
went pear-shaped
2. Choose the correct meaning of “go pear-shaped”:
A) To improve suddenly
B) To slow down on purpose
C) To go wrong or fail unexpectedly
D) To get more organized
Answer
C) To go wrong or fail unexpectedly
3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:
“The system update failed and caused unexpected problems.” → Change the sentence using: go pear-shaped
Answer
The system update went pear-shaped and caused unexpected problems.