wobbler

/'wɔblə/

Thân thiện

The toddler plays with a colorful wobbler toy on the floor.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Something that wobbles: An object, person, or thing that moves unsteadily from side to side or back and forth.
   • A person who is indecisive: (Figurative/Informal) A person who is hesitant, vacillates, or is unsteady in opinion or decision.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Physical Object):
  • The table is a wobbler because one leg is shorter than the others.
  • That old wheel on the cart is a real wobbler; it needs to be replaced.
• Noun (Person - Figurative):
  • On the issue of policy, he's been a wobbler, changing his mind every week.
  • Don't be a wobbler; make a firm decision and stick with it.

Advanced Usage

• "To throw a wobbler" (British Informal Idiom): To suddenly become very upset, angry, or emotional; to have a tantrum or fit.
  • My boss threw a wobbler when he saw the mistake in the report.

Variants and Related Words

• Wobble (verb): To move unsteadily from side to side; to show indecision.
  • The chair wobbled on the uneven floor.
• Wobbly (adjective): Tending to wobble; unsteady. Also used informally to mean feeling weak or emotionally upset.
  • The ladder felt wobbly. / She felt a bit wobbly after the bad news.

Synonyms

• Unsteady object: Teeterer, shaker, rocker.
• Indecisive person: Vacillator, hesitator, fence-sitter, waverer.

Related Phrases

• On the wobble (Informal): In an unstable or uncertain condition.
  • After the scandal, the government was on the wobble.

Related Idioms

• Throw a wobbly: (See "To throw a wobbler" in Advanced Usage). This is the more common form of the idiom.
  • The toddler threw a wobbly when his toy was taken away.

Học thuật

Noun

1. something that wobbles