A small, mischievous creature blamed for causing mechanical problems or malfunctions; also used for any small troublemaker.
Origin uncertain, possibly from Irish 'gruaimin' or from German 'Gräuelchen.' The term became popular in World War II when pilots blamed mechanical failures on these imaginary creatures.
RAF pilots in WWII invented gremlins to explain inexplicable mechanical failures, making it a word born from frustration and superstition—and it stuck so well that we still 'blame the gremlin' for glitches today.
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