howler
UK: ˈhaʊlə | US: ˈhaʊlər
n. a loud, prolonged cry or wail (typically made by an animal such as a wolf or monkey)
n. a glaring or ridiculous mistake; a blunder
n. (informal) something extremely funny or absurd
The word "howler" originates from the verb "howl," which traces back to Old English hūlian, meaning "to cry out or wail." The suffix "-er" is an agentive suffix in English, often used to form nouns indicating a person or thing that performs an action. Thus, "howler" literally means "one that howls." Over time, the term expanded metaphorically to describe human errors (mid-19th century) and humorous absurdities, likely due to the idea of a mistake so blatant it "cries out" for attention.
The howler monkeys filled the jungle with their eerie calls at dawn.
The report contained a howler—it misspelled the CEO’s name three times.
His attempt at a British accent was an absolute howler.
Critics called the film’s historical inaccuracies howlers.
We couldn’t stop laughing at the howler in the newspaper’s horoscope section.