English Reference
Idiom idiom

go horribly right


To produce a technically correct result, but with highly undesirable consequences.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

“My attempt to fix the sink went horribly right.”

CONTEXTUAL

“The software update went horribly right, as it deleted all the old bugs but also erased our entire database.”

COMPLEX

“The experiment went horribly right, yielding the precise chemical compound we sought while simultaneously triggering an irreversible and catastrophic reaction.”


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    all dressed up and nowhere to go

    Elaborately attired or otherwise fully prepared for an anticipated situation or activity which, nevertheless, fails to occur.

  2. 02

    all rights reserved

    The copyright holder of a creative work reserves all copyright-related rights, typically including the right to publish the work, to make derivative works of it, to distribute it, to make profit from it, to license a number of these rights to other people, and to forbid these uses by any unauthorized people, thus being entitled to take legal action against infringement.

  3. 03

    all systems go

    Everything is ready.

  4. 04

    as you go

    While one is doing (something); as one progresses.

  5. 05

    bang to rights

    Red-handed, (caught) in the act.

  6. 06

    boldly go where no man has gone before

    To break new ground.

  7. 07

    bragging rights

    The prerogative to praise oneself for a skill or accomplishment.

  8. 08

    come and go

    To repeatedly appear and disappear; to be transient.

Last updated August 10, 2026