Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

ratner moment

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.51 in modern English

Syllables
rat-ner -mo-ment
IPA
16
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
4
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A situation where one harms one's reputation or standing by making ill-advised remarks.

Colloquial

Etymology

After British businessman Gerald Ratner, whose jewellery business nearly collapsed in 1991 after he jokingly denigrated the company's products.

Usage

Inflected Forms

Ratner moments (plural)

Phrases

Ratner effect

Frequently Paired Words

Ratner effect

Questions

What does ratner moment mean?
A situation where one harms one's reputation or standing by making ill-advised remarks.
Where does ratner moment come from?
After British businessman Gerald Ratner, whose jewellery business nearly collapsed in 1991 after he jokingly denigrated the company's products.

How to pronounce ratner moment

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “ratner moment”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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  4. Repeat and practice — Say “ratner moment” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.