fouls up
Makes a mess
Fouls up means to bungle or ruin something through mistakes or incompetence: He fouled up the presentation by forgetting his notes.
The phrase suggests making a mess of what should have been straightforward.
A foul-up is the resulting mistake or confusion: There was a foul-up with the reservations.
- blundersSerious mistakes from carelessness
- botchesFails through carelessness
- makes a hash ofMangles through incompetence
- misstepsMistakes or errors
- drops the ballFails a key responsibility
derails · recklessness · messes up · sabotages · inattentiveness · screws up · oversights · miscalculations · bungles · cocks up · balls up · muddles · gums up the works · lapses · mangles · sloppiness · slip-ups · irresponsibility