accidentally on purpose


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accidentally on purpose

Seemingly unintentionally but actually deliberately. Sometimes hyphenated. Paula is pretty shy, so I think she forgot to attend the party accidentally on purpose. Ella also has a crush on Ben, so I bet she "forgot" to give you his message accidentally on purpose! I might have accidentally-on-purpose put your résumé on the top of the pile so my boss would see it first.
See also: accidentally, on, purpose
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

accidentally-on-purpose

Inf. deliberate, but meant to look like an accident. Then, I accidentally-on-purpose spilled water on him.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

accidentally on purpose

apparently by accident but in fact intentionally. humorous
See also: accidentally, on, purpose
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

acciˌdentally on ˈpurpose

(informal, ironic) intending to do something, but wanting to appear to have done it by accident: ‘We’d just finished our meal when John realized he’d accidentally left his chequebook at home.’ ‘Accidentally on purpose, you mean!’
See also: accidentally, on, purpose
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

accidentally-on-purpose

mod. deliberate, but meant to look like an accident. Then I accidentally-on-purpose spilled water on him.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
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References in periodicals archive ?
COUNTRY music duo The Shires, who have just released their third album Accidentally On Purpose, will be at Venue Cymru, Llandudno, on June 5.
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Genet's vase makers find an interesting correspondent in the characters of Prince's "In My Movie," who play a round of poker called "accidentally on purpose," a phrase that, in turn, describes Ethridge's cover image of a bird in flight.
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The problem isn't whether Hillary Clinton acts too much like a man, scares male underlings, or accidentally on purpose loses things.
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