Finagle's law

Meanings

proper noun

An adage which states that if anything can go wrong, then it will at the worst possible moment.
Head directly for Altair Six. Sailor's luck, Mister Spock. Or, as one of Finagle's Laws puts it, 'Any home port the ship makes ill be somebody else's, not mine'.
1967, Theodore Sturgeon, “Amok Time”, in Star Trek, season 2, episode 1 (television production), spoken by Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner)
Synonyms: Murphy's law, Sod's law

proper nounAn adage which states that if anything can go wrong, then it will at the worst possible moment.

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APA

Finagle's law. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Finagle's%20law

MLA

“Finagle's law.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Finagle's%20law. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Finagle's law,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Finagle's%20law.