foul-ups
Things gone wrong
Foul-ups are mistakes, blunders, or things that have gone wrong—the noun form of the verb phrase "foul up." The term suggests confusion or mismanagement rather than minor errors: A series of foul-ups delayed the project by months.
Often used in plural to describe accumulated problems: bureaucratic foul-ups, technical foul-ups.
Serious mistakes from carelessness
- errorsUnintentional deviations from correctness
- mishapsMinor unfortunate occurrences
- gaffesEmbarrassing social mistakes
- slip-upsCareless small mistakes
bungles · botches · screw-ups · missteps · flubs · goofs · oversights · lapses
Bureaucratic obstacles to action
- paperworkAdministrative written tasks
- delaysPauses before proceeding
- miscommunicationFailed exchange of meaning
- clerical errorsAdministrative mistakes in documentation
administrative · mix-ups · misfiled · backlogs · runaround · inefficiency · wrong address · data entry
Failures to operate correctly
- glitchesMinor system malfunctions
- bugsSmall crawling creatures
- breakdownsSudden failures or collapses
- crashesSudden violent impacts
defects · dysfunctions · equipment failure · debugging · troubleshooting · workarounds · patches · fixes
blunders
Serious mistakes from carelessness
- errorsUnintentional deviations from correctness
- mishapsMinor unfortunate occurrences
- gaffesEmbarrassing social mistakes
slip-ups · bungles · botches · screw-ups · missteps · flubs · goofs · oversights · lapses · snafus
red tape
Bureaucratic obstacles to action
- paperworkAdministrative written tasks
- delaysPauses before proceeding
- miscommunicationFailed exchange of meaning
clerical errors · administrative · mix-ups · misfiled · backlogs · runaround · inefficiency · wrong address · data entry · departmental
malfunctions
Failures to operate correctly
- glitchesMinor system malfunctions
- bugsSmall crawling creatures
- breakdownsSudden failures or collapses
crashes · defects · dysfunctions · equipment failure · debugging · troubleshooting · workarounds · patches · fixes · downtime
- blundersblunder, blunders, blundered, mistakes, botch
- mismanagementmishandling, dysfunction, misuse, incompetence, inefficiency
- flawsfaults, defect, flaw, blemish, flaws
foul-upssuccesses
Favorable outcomes achieved
triumphs · victories · wins · achievements · accomplishments
foul-upsmasterstrokes
Brilliantly successful actions
well-oiled machines · precision · proficiency · competence · efficiency
foul, upstairs, fouled, foulness, fouling, fouler, foulest, foully, foul-up