Fumble vs Mistake - What's the difference?
fumble | mistake |
(intransitive) To idly touch or nervously handle
* {{quote-news
, year=2010
, date=December 28
, author=Owen Phillips
, title=Sunderland 0 - 2 Blackpool
, work=BBC
(intransitive) To grope awkwardly in trying to find something
* Fielding
To blunder uncertainly.
To grope about in perplexity; to seek awkwardly.
* Chesterfield
* Wordsworth
(transitive, intransitive, sports) To drop a ball or a baton etc.
To handle much; to play childishly; to turn over and over.
* Shakespeare
An error; a blunder.
* 1877 , Henry Heth, quoting , in "Causes of the Defeat of Gen. Lee's Army at the Battle of GettysburgOpinions of Leading Confederate Soldiers.", Southern Historical Society Papers (1877), editor Rev. J. WM. Jones [http://books.google.com/books?id=iDIFAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA292&dq=lee+%22mistakes+were+made%22&hl=en&ei=fchaTbu4L8L98AaVs4n-DQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=lee%20%22mistakes%20were%20made%22&f=false]
(baseball) A pitch which was intended to be pitched in a hard to hit location, but instead ends up in an easy to hit place
To understand wrongly, taking one thing for another, or someone for someone else.
* Shakespeare
* Johnson
To commit an unintentional error; to do or think something wrong.
* Jonathan Swift
(obsolete, rare) To take or choose wrongly.
In lang=en terms the difference between fumble and mistake
is that fumble is to blunder uncertainly while mistake is to commit an unintentional error; to do or think something wrong.As verbs the difference between fumble and mistake
is that fumble is (intransitive) to idly touch or nervously handle while mistake is to understand wrongly, taking one thing for another, or someone for someone else.As nouns the difference between fumble and mistake
is that fumble is (sports) a ball etc that has been dropped while mistake is an error; a blunder.fumble
English
Verb
(fumbl)- Waiting for the interview, he fumbled with his tie.
- He fumbled the key into the lock.
citation, page= , passage=Henderson's best strike on goal saw goalkeeper Kingson uncomfortably fumble his measured shot around the post.}}
- He fumbled for his keys.
- He fumbled his way to the light-switch.
- Adams now began to fumble in his pockets.
- He fumbled through his prepared speech.
- to fumble for an excuse
- My understanding flutters and my memory fumbles .
- Alas! how he fumbles about the domains.
- I saw him fumble with the sheets, and play with flowers.
mistake
English
Noun
(en noun)- After it is all over, as stupid a fellow as I am can see that mistakes' were made. I notice, however, that my ' mistakes are never told me until it is too late.
Synonyms
* See alsoUsage notes
* Usually make a mistake. SeeVerb
- Sorry, I mistook you for my brother. You look very similar.
- My father's purposes have been mistook .
- A man may mistake the love of virtue for the practice of it.
- Servants mistake , and sometimes occasion misunderstanding among friends.
- (Shakespeare)