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come a cropper. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
come a cropper, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
come a cropper in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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come a cropper, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
Possibly from the phrase neck and crop, in which crop may refer to the backside of a horse.
Pronunciation
Verb
come a cropper (third-person singular simple present comes a cropper, present participle coming a cropper, simple past came a cropper, past participle come a cropper)
- (originally) To fall headlong from a horse.
- (British, idiomatic) To suffer some accident or misfortune; to fail.
She came a cropper on the stairs and broke her leg.
1879, Anthony Trollope, chapter 67, in The Duke's Children:I should feel certain that I should come a cropper, but still I'd try it. As you say, a fellow should try.
1951 March, “Chess Caviar”, in Chess Review:We are accustomed to seeing Morphy conquer brilliantly against great odds; but this time he comes a cropper.
1953, Mervyn Peake, Mr Pye, William Heinemann:You tried to convey too much and you conveyed nothing. You came a cropper, major.
2022 May 14, “Tech bubbles are bursting all over the place”, in The Economist, →ISSN:Although they were meant to reach the Moon no matter what, cryptocurrencies are also coming a cropper.
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