queer as a clockwork orange
Originating from Anthony Burgess's 1962 novel 'A Clockwork Orange,' this phrase highlights a contrast between appearance and reality, often suggesting something bizarre or unnatural.
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Definition
C1General
(informal, literary)Extremely strange or bizarre, often appearing normal on the surface but being unusual internally.
Example
- The abandoned amusement park was queer as a clockwork orange, with its eerie silence and broken rides.
C1General
(informal, literary)Something manipulated to appear normal but inherently unnatural or forced.
Example
- The town's cheerful facade was queer as a clockwork orange, hiding the underlying tensions among its residents.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "queer as a clockwork orange":