Half-broken

[broh-kuh n] /ˈbroʊ kən/

verb
1.
past participle of .
adjective
2.
reduced to fragments; fragmented.
3.
ruptured; torn; fractured.
4.
not functioning properly; out of working order.
5.
Meteorology. (of sky cover) being more than half, but not totally, covered by clouds.
Compare (def 4).
6.
changing direction abruptly:
The fox ran in a broken line.
7.
fragmentary or incomplete:
a broken ton of coal weighing 1,500 pounds.
8.
infringed or violated:
A broken promise is a betrayal of trust.
9.
interrupted, disrupted, or disconnected:
After the phone call he returned to his broken sleep.
10.
weakened in strength, spirit, etc.:
His broken health was due to alcoholism.
11.
tamed, trained, or reduced to submission:
The horse was broken to the saddle.
12.
imperfectly spoken, as language:
She still speaks broken English.
13.
spoken in a halting or fragmentary manner, as under emotional strain:
He uttered a few broken words of sorrow.
14.

15.
not smooth; rough or irregular:
We left the plains and rode through broken country.
16.
ruined; bankrupt:
the broken fortunes of his family.
17.
Papermaking, Printing. a quantity of paper of less than 500 or 1000 sheets.
/ˈbrəʊkən/
verb
1.
the past participle of break
adjective
2.
fractured, smashed, or splintered: a broken vase
3.
imperfect or incomplete; fragmentary: a broken set of books
4.
interrupted; disturbed; disconnected: broken sleep
5.
intermittent or discontinuous: broken sunshine
6.
varying in direction or intensity, as of pitch: a broken note, a broken run
7.
not functioning: a broken radio
8.
spoilt or ruined by divorce (esp in the phrases broken home, broken marriage)
9.
(of a trust, promise, contract, etc) violated; infringed
10.
overcome with grief or disappointment: a broken heart
11.
(of the speech of a foreigner) imperfect in grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation: broken English
12.
Also broken-in. made tame or disciplined by training: a broken horse, a broken recruit
13.
exhausted or weakened as through ill-health or misfortune
14.
confused or disorganized: broken ranks of soldiers
15.
breached or opened: broken defensive lines
16.
irregular or rough; uneven: broken ground
17.
bankrupt or out of money: a broken industry
18.
(of colour) having a multicoloured decorative effect, as by stippling paint onto a surface
19.
(South African, informal) drunk
adj.

late 14c., past participle adjective from break (v.). Broken record in reference to someone continually repeating the same thing is from 1944, in reference to scratches on records that cause the needle to jump back and repeat.

When Britain’s Minister of State, Selwyn Lloyd[,] became bored with a speech by Russia’s Andrei Vishinsky in UN debate, he borrowed a Dizzy Gillespie bebop expression and commented: “Dig that broken record.” While most translators pondered the meaning, a man who takes English and puts it into Chinese gave this translation: “Recover the phonograph record which you have discarded.” [“Jet,” Oct. 15, 1953]