goat rope
See also: goat-rope
English
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Derived from goat roper
Pronunciation
[edit]Audio (General Australian): (file)
Noun
[edit]goat rope (plural goat ropes)
- (slang) A confusing, disorganized situation often attributed to or marked by human error.
- 2010, Mark Perry, Talking to Terrorists: Why America Must Engage with Its Enemies:
- Never did find out what happened in July, but that was a goat rope that was poorly coordinated.
- 2013, Lyle O’Connor, Due Process:
- What a goat rope! The fact that we had to appear three different times was certainly an indicator things were going poorly for the prosecution.
- (slang) A convoluted issue that is contested by many parties.
- 2013, A. American, Surviving Home, page 32:
- “How far up does this little goat rope go?” Sarge asked. “As far as we know, all the way to the commander in chief.”
- A rodeo event in which competitors attempt to lasso a goat, usually for younger participants.
- An ill-advised solution to contain a problem; a solution that will eventually fail.
Synonyms
[edit]- (confusing situation): clusterfuck, debacle, fiasco, goatfuck, fustercluck
- (convoluted issue): hairball