foul up
Make a mess
Foul up means to bungle or botch something, causing it to fail or go wrong through carelessness or incompetence.
I really fouled up the presentation by forgetting to bring the slides.
As a noun, a foul-up is a mistake or malfunction that disrupts things: There was a foul-up with the reservations and we lost our table.
The expression likely derives from nautical contexts where lines could become tangled or fouled, preventing proper operation.
Foolish, costly mistake
screwup · snafu · mishap · misstep · oversight · miscalculate · mishandle · mismanage
Force off course
- sabotageDeliberate disruption of operations
- wreckDestroyed vessel or vehicle
- spoilDamage or overindulge
- ruinComplete destruction or collapse
throw off · undermine · obstruct · hinder · impede · hamper · complicate · entangle
Disordered, bewildered state
- jumbleConfused disorderly collection
- scrambleMix into disorder
- tangleTwisted mass of strands
- disorderAbsence of organization
disarrange · disorganize · shuffle · garble · misread · misconstrue · misinterpret · obfuscate
blunder
Foolish, costly mistake
goof · screwup · snafu · mishap · misstep · oversight · miscalculate · mishandle · mismanage · fumble
derail
Force off course
- sabotageDeliberate disruption of operations
- wreckDestroyed vessel or vehicle
- spoilDamage or overindulge
ruin · throw off · undermine · obstruct · hinder · impede · hamper · complicate · entangle · snarl
muddle
Disordered, bewildered state
disorder · disarrange · disorganize · shuffle · garble · misread · misconstrue · misinterpret · obfuscate · cloud
foul upsucceed
Achieve a desired aim
nail it · get right · pull off · ace · accomplish
foul upsort out
Resolve or organize
straighten out · put in order · set right · organize · tidy up
up, foul, fouled, foulness, fouling, fouler, foulest, afoul, fowler