getting your wires crossed
Meaning
To misunderstand or become confused with someone, often leading to miscommunication or an unintended outcome.
Origin
Imagine the early days of telegraph and telephone technology, a tangled web of wires snaking across cities and continents. In these nascent communication systems, especially within a complex switchboard or telegraph office, it was all too easy for connections to be made incorrectly. When two distinct lines became accidentally joined, the electrical signals meant for one recipient would stray, or 'cross wires,' ending up on a different circuit altogether. This literal misrouting of messages caused immense confusion, delivering gibberish or unintended information to callers. It was from this very real technical snag that the vivid image of 'getting your wires crossed' emerged, perfectly capturing the frustrating experience of human miscommunication and misunderstanding.
Examples
- I think we've gotten our wires crossed about the meeting time, because I was waiting in the lobby for an hour.
- It seems we got our wires crossed, as I thought you were bringing the dessert and you thought I was.