half-cocked

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

To Rafael’s bildungsroman amid half-cocked terrorists and a love triangle with their leaders, add a spy-novel parody, a kaleidoscopic Christ narrative, a battery of literary references and a portrait of Cuban life under socialism.

From New York Times • Sep. 2, 2022

If the hammer was quarter or half-cocked, the gun “could not be made to fire without a pull of the trigger,” per the report cited by ABC News.

From Washington Times • Aug. 13, 2022

Even though Musk’s tactics this month appeared unconventional or even half-cocked, merger-and-acquisition experts say his strategy incorporated sound negotiation principles — with a twist of his distinctive, unpredictable style.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 25, 2022

Others were also unenthusiastic, with Henry Hitchings giving it two stars in The Evening Standard, and The Hollywood Reporter describing it as "half-cocked".

From BBC • Jun. 6, 2018

Educated middle-class professionals never go careening half-cocked into the future, vulnerable to any surprise that might leap out at them.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich