begin at the wrong end

verb

To manage something badly.

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Meanings

verbbegin at the wrong end (third-person singular simple present begins at the wrong end, present participle beginning at the wrong end, simple past began at the wrong end, past participle begun at the wrong end)

present singular third person begins at the wrong end · participle present beginning at the wrong end · past began at the wrong end · participle past begun at the wrong end

  1. To manage something badly.
Cite this entry
APA

begin at the wrong end. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/begin%20at%20the%20wrong%20end

MLA

“begin at the wrong end.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/begin%20at%20the%20wrong%20end. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “begin at the wrong end,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/begin%20at%20the%20wrong%20end.

Source: begin at the wrong end on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.