whopperjawed
Crooked, lopsided, or sitting wrong on its hinges.
Also called whopper-jawed, wapper-jawed, whompy-jawed.
Updated September 24, 2026
whopperjawed pronunciation
/WAH-per-jawd/
Meaning
Country talk for something askew: a gate that hangs funny, a picture that won't sit level, a bumper knocked out of true. Older forms like wapper-jawed once meant a crooked or stuck-out jaw, then the word spread to anything out of line. Cousins in the same tool kit are cattywampus, whompy-jawed, and sigogglin.
How folks use it
- “That screen door hangs all whopperjawed since the storm.”
- “Hold the picture up — it's still a little whopperjawed on the left.”
Origin and etymology
From older wapper-jawed, tied to British dialect for a wry or warped jaw. American speech broadened it to crooked or misaligned in general. Spellings wander: whopper-jawed, whomper-jawed, whompy-jawed. Dialect notes and word hunters place it in informal U.S. talk, including Southern use for things out of whack.
Frequently asked questions
Does whopperjawed only describe jaws?
Not anymore. People use it for gates, frames, fences, and anything sitting crooked.