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get one's wires crossed. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
get one's wires crossed, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
get one's wires crossed in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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get one's wires crossed will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
get one's wires crossed, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From the early days of telephony, when touching wires could reroute conversations.
Pronunciation
Verb
get one's wires crossed (third-person singular simple present gets one's wires crossed, present participle getting one's wires crossed, simple past got one's wires crossed, past participle (UK) got one's wires crossed or (US) gotten one's wires crossed)
- (intransitive, idiomatic) To get confused or mixed up about another person's intentions; to misunderstand one another.
- We got our wires crossed so I went to the bus station and she headed to the railway station.
1949 November, “Chess Caviar”, in Chess Review:"TELEPHONE MATCH, 1949. White gets his wires crossed from trying to call on two variations at once and picks the wrong number in Black who cuts him off short."
Related terms
Translations
to misunderstand one another