patinazo

skid

noun pah-tee-NAH-soh Rare

Also means

blunder, gaffe

Usage Note

Patinazo derives from patinar ('to skate / to skid') via the augmentative suffix -azo, originally conveying a hard skid. Colloquially it has shifted to mean any embarrassing mistake or public gaffe (el patinazo del ministro, 'the minister's blunder'). The suffix -azo here implies a notable, often sudden incident. It is informal register.

Examples

"El presentador cometió un patinazo en directo."

Natural Translation

The presenter made a blunder live on air.

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