Morphy's Law

Refers to the often-experienced situation of frustration and lack of progress/advancement caused by the infamous "double-face" that so many lazy/selfish/insensitive people rapidly vacillate between, depending on current conditions --- one moment they may be robustly cheerful and agreeably open-minded, and then if someone mentions an unwelcome subject or task, they suddenly "morph" into an irritable depressed "limp rag" who does not wish to bestir himself or cooperate/assist in any way.

Morphy's Law: The level of energy/patience/good humor that someone possesses is in direct inverse proportion to the desirability of the topic under discussion, the amount of strenuous labor involved in a proposed task, etc.

Morphy's Law by QuacksO January 4, 2017

Murphy's Law 

prov. If there are two or more ways to do something, and one of those ways can result in a catastrophe, then someone will do it.

Edward A. Murphy, Jr. was one of the engineers on the rocket-sled experiments that were done by the U.S. Air Force in 1949 to test human acceleration tolerances (USAF project MX981). One experiment involved a set of 16 accelerometers mounted to different parts of the subject's body. There were two ways each sensor could be glued to its mount, and somebody methodically installed all 16 the wrong way around. Murphy then made the original form of his pronouncement, which the test subject (Major John Paul Stapp) quoted at a news conference a few days later.

Within months `Murphy's Law' had spread to various technical cultures connected to aerospace engineering. Before too many years had gone by variants had passed into the popular imagination, changing as they went. Most of these are variants on "Anything that can go wrong, will"; this is correctly referred to as Finagle's Law. The memetic drift apparent in these mutants clearly demonstrates Murphy's Law acting on itself!

This is a principle of defensive design, and usually given in mutant forms less descriptive of the challenges of design.

You don't make a two-pin plug symmetrical and then label it `THIS WAY UP'; if it matters which way it is plugged in, then you make the design asymmetrical.

Murphy's Law by Belatu July 26, 2004

murphy's law 

The law that says anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.

I just won the lotto, but I lost the lotto ticket.

murphy's law by Etan September 5, 2003

Murphy's Law 

A law that states that everything that can go wrong, will. For Example: A jellied piece of

bread will always fall jelly side down. Example 2: Just when you thought it was safe to wear a white skirt to school, because your period isnt for another week---you end up with a japanese flag on your ass.

Murphy's Law by K. A. S. I. E. June 24, 2004

murphy's law 

Shit happens.

I always fail to capture that damn roadrunner thanks to Murphy's Law, and all those defective, shitty ACME products.

murphy's law by Wily E. Coyote September 24, 2003

Eddie Murphy's Law 

based on the term Murphy's Law, in which "anything that can go wrong, will wrong."

Eddie Murphy's Law suggest that "anything that can go wrong, will go wrong for a black man,"

That's Eddie Murphy's law for ya.

Eddie Murphy's Law by AmericanBeard June 2, 2010

murphy's law 

I have seen it quoted in this manner: "If there are two or more ways to do something and one of those results in a catastrophe, then someone will do it that way." It is more a psychological law than a superstition then.

murphy's law by Thermaland October 31, 2003