goat rope

plural goat ropes · alternative goat-rope

1. slangA confusing, disorganized situation often attributed to or marked by human error.

   Never did find out what happened in July, but that was a goat rope that was poorly coordinated.

   2010, Mark Perry, Talking to Terrorists: Why America Must Engage with Its Enemies

   1 more example

   What a goat rope! The fact that we had to appear three different times was certainly an indicator things were going poorly for the prosecution.

   2013, Lyle O’Connor, Due Process

   Synonyms: clusterfuck, debacle, fiasco, goatfuck, fustercluck, goat rodeo

2. slangA convoluted issue that is contested by many parties.

   “How far up does this little goat rope go?” Sarge asked. “As far as we know, all the way to the commander in chief.”

   2013, A. American, Surviving Home, page 32

   Synonyms: hairball

3. A rodeo event in which competitors attempt to lasso a goat, usually for younger participants.
4. An ill-advised solution to contain a problem; a solution that will eventually fail.