louse up
Make a mess
To louse up is to bungle or ruin something through incompetence or carelessness: He loused up the interview by arriving late.
The expression comes from louse, the parasitic insect—an infestation spoils what it touches.
Loused up as an adjective describes something badly damaged or mishandled: The whole project is completely loused up.
- foul upSpoil by mishandling
- bungleFail through clumsiness
- screw upMake a mistake badly
- cock upBritish term for mistake
- botchSpoil through incompetence
make a hash of · mishandle · mangle · foozle · muck up · mistake · flub · snafu · wreck · ruin · throw a wrench in · mess up · make a mess of · slip-up · drop the ball · put one's foot in it · goof up · mismanage