miss the mark

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miss the mark (third-person singular simple present misses the mark, present participle missing the mark, simple past and past participle missed the mark)

1. (of a projectile) To fail to hit the target.
2. (figurative) To fail to achieve the intended result.

   The party's manifesto missed the mark and failed to attract people's attention.

   • 2024 May 9, Emma Roth, quoting Tor Myhren, “Apple apologizes for iPad ‘Crush’ ad that ‘missed the mark’”, in The Verge‎:

     In a statement provided to Ad Age, Tor Myhren, Apple’s vice president of marketing, said the company “missed the mark.”

• wide of the mark