Wile E. Coyote

Verb

Wile E. Coyote (third-person singular simple present Wile E. Coyotes, present participle Wile E. Coyote-ing, simple past and past participle Wile E. Coyote'd)

1. (informal) To fail disastrously.
   • In the worse scenario, with the nation Wile E. Coyote–ing over the fiscal cliff, not only will their taxes will go up but their net worth may suffer a double blow from a stock-market meltdown and/or a new economic recession.2012 December 7, Libby Copeland, “Shop Before the Drop”, in New York, New York, N.Y.: New York Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 22 Mar 2023
   • Dropped atop the couloir via helicopter, Townsend steps into his Salomons and descends on the narrow chute, pushing the limits of reason as he navigates the line at a clip of 65 to 70 miles per hour, with nothing more than a few turns to maintain control—or, in his words, to keep himself from Wile...2014 December 13, A. J. McCarthy, “Cody Townsend, Couloir Killer”, in Slate, New York, N.Y.: The Slate Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 23 Jan 2021
2. (informal) To do something in an exaggeratedly obvious way, reminiscent of the animated effects drawn on Wile E. Coyote.
   • And finally, don't use this as an opportunity to steal a glimpse at our butts, as one former co-worker used to do very indiscreetly. She might not witness your eyeballs Wile E. Coyote-ing out of your head, but everyone behind her will.2014 September 22, Lauren Bans, “How to be polite to women without annoying them”, in CNN, archived from the original on 20 Mar 2023