Inconsistent in quality or success; sometimes working well and sometimes failing completely. It describes something unreliable or unpredictable in its outcomes.
This phrase originated in the 16th century from archery and early firearms, where you would either hit your target or miss it entirely. The metaphorical use developed to describe any activity with unpredictable results, emphasizing the binary nature of many outcomes.
The phrase perfectly captures the frustration of inconsistency in our efficiency-obsessed world. It's interesting that we use a weapons metaphor to describe everyday unreliability, perhaps because missing a target once meant the difference between eating and starving, making accuracy a life-or-death concern.
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