mislick
A bad swing or wrong move — usually with a tool, sometimes with life.
Updated September 24, 2026
mislick pronunciation
/MISS-lick/
Meaning
An accidental or poorly aimed strike, like when the hammer glances off the nail and finds your thumb instead. Built on rural "lick," meaning a blow or a try at something. Folks also stretch it to cover a bad call in general — buying the wrong gun, agreeing to the wrong favor — not just woodworking disasters.
How folks use it
- “He hit a mislick with the wrench and tore his fingernail clean off.”
- “I made a real mislick when I passed on that old tractor.”
Origin and etymology
From mis- (wrong) plus lick, the old rural word for a stroke or blow. Recorded as Southern U.S. regional speech by the mid-1800s (Bartlett). DARE and Appalachian speakers still use it for errant hammer blows and, by extension, other slip-ups.
Frequently asked questions
Is a mislick only about tools?
Tool talk is the home base. People also use it for any wrong move they regret, from a bad swing to a bad decision.