# What does "going all Pear shaped" mean? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 2, 2003, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-going-all-pear-shaped-mean/205133 "2003-10-02T15:18:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2003, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-going-all-pear-shaped-mean/205133/1 "2003-10-02T15:18:42Z")
To start with, I’m from the States. I know an Englishwoman that uses the phrase “going all Pear Shaped” to describe situations that may or have gone wrong. I have also seen this phrase a couple of times in these boards. I have a general idea of what it means, but when I asked my British friend where it comes from, she had no idea. Does anyone have a better/different explination of the phrase? ---
**Author:** ![Avarie537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2003, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-going-all-pear-shaped-mean/205133/2 "2003-10-02T15:24:26Z")
Sorry - I thought you were referring to women with round, heavy hips and bottoms that are wider than their shoulders. ---
**Author:** ![mirekina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@mirekina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mirekina)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2003, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-going-all-pear-shaped-mean/205133/3 "2003-10-02T15:35:54Z")
It means everything’s going all wrong. For instance, I might say “Everything’s going pear shaped!” if the potatoes boil over, I step on the cat’s tail and I knock a glass off the counter all at the same time. In fact, I believe I’ve said those very words in that very instance. I think the phrase comes from the shape of a pear, which is decidedly weighted from the bottom. If you have a stable situation that suddenly becomes pear shaped, it will turn upside down so it sits on the bottom. Think Weeble Wobbles. ---
**Author:** ![brainfizz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/da6949/32.png) [@brainfizz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainfizz)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2003, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-going-all-pear-shaped-mean/205133/4 "2003-10-02T15:45:54Z")
It’s all gone a bit Pete Tong… From: [http://alt-usage-english.org/ucle/ucle9.html](http://alt-usage-english.org/ucle/ucle9.html)… > [@](#): > > “It went pear-shaped” is used in modern English to signify a comedic fiasco or similar disaster. In almost every circumstance, it refers to an undertaking or project that resulted in failure, but caused no grievous harm to anyone involved. Further, it provides a gentle suggestion that the fiasco was a result of nature and beyond the control of any specific individual. It is not regarded as vulgar or offensive. > > Despite its common usage, the origin of the phrase remains obscure. Some sources attest that its origins lie in ballooning, and that a pear suggests the shape of a collapsed balloon. I can’t find support for this etymology at [http://www.ballooning.org/ballooning/glossary.html](http://www.ballooning.org/ballooning/glossary.html). > > Others suggest that “pear-shaped” is rooted in aircraft terminology. The story goes that certain types of aircraft engine casings might go “pear-shaped” in the event of failure. Unfortunately, there is no convincing citation to accompany this claim. > > Maths experts and “Quants” can be expected to attest that “pear-shaped” refers to a so-called “normal” or “Gaussian” distribution where the extremities of the distribution have become enlarged. In such a situation, improbable events would become much more probable. This is, at the moment, the preferred origin for “It’s all gone pear-shaped”. ---
**Author:** ![brainfizz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/da6949/32.png) [@brainfizz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainfizz)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2003, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-going-all-pear-shaped-mean/205133/5 "2003-10-02T15:51:03Z")
Oh, and welcome to the SDMB 🙂