horlicks

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Sense 1

Meaning · English

Bollocks, a mess or balls-up.

Register: slang

Examples

McDonald & Dodds is back, with episode one so deliberately hammy and meta that, technically, it should have been a complete horlicks. In one scene, when they were all hanging on to the balloon ropes, Mr Bean-like, to stop Jason Watkins flying away, it sort of was.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

Bollocks, nonsense, false statements.

Register: slang

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “horlicks” mean?

Bollocks, a mess or balls-up.

Is “horlicks” formal or informal?

horlicks is generally slang.