clocher

to be wrong

verb kloh-SHEH Rare

Also means

to limp (informal)

Usage Note

Clocher in everyday speech almost always means something is off or not quite right — quelque chose cloche ('something is wrong') is the quintessential informal phrase. Its older literal sense is 'to limp', which has extended to anything that doesn't function properly. The unrelated noun clocher means 'steeple' or 'bell-tower'.

Examples

"Quelque chose cloche dans son histoire."

Natural Translation

Something is off in his story.

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