on the blink

not operating well The computers in the accounting department are always on the blink and the bills don't get paid on time.

See also: blink, on

on the blink

Also, on the bum or fritz . Malfunctioning, out of order, broken, as in The TV is on the blink again, or You drive-our car's on the bum. The first of these slangy expressions dates from the late 1800s and possibly alludes to an electric light that flickers on and off ("blinks"); the second, from the same period, possibly is derived from bum in the sense of "a contemptible person"; the third, fritz, dating from about 1900, is of unknown origin.

See also: blink, on

on the blink

1. mod. out of order; ill. (see also on the fritz.) My refrigerator is on the blink again.

2. mod. alcohol intoxicated; on a drinking spree. They all went out and got on the blink.

See also: blink, on

on the blink

Out of working order.

See also: blink, on

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Stipo	-	Croatian
Rangi	-	Maori, Polynesian Mythology
Robert	RAH-bərt (English), ro-BER (French), RO-bert (German), RO-bərt (Dutch), RAW-bert (Polish), RO-byert (Russian), RO-beert (Russian)	English, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Russian, Slovene,
Jaakob	-	Finnish (Rare), Estonian (Rare)
Hwan	hwahn	Korean
Ithel	-	Welsh