make a hash of

Mess up badly

To make a hash of something is to bungle it badly, turning what should be orderly into a confused mess: He made a hash of the presentation.

The image is of hash—meat and vegetables chopped and mixed together—applied to any situation reduced to jumbled pieces.

botch

bungle

Fail through clumsiness

fumbleHandle with clumsy fingers
mishandleManage incompetently or roughly
blunderFoolish, costly mistake

flub · muddle · mess up · screw up · mismanage · spoil · mar · wreck · foul up · goof up

confuse

muddle

Disordered, bewildered state

jumbleConfused disorderly collection
scrambleMix into disorder
mix upConfuse or disorder

garble · tangle · disorder · disarrange · complicate · obfuscate · befuddle · perplex · entangle · disorganize

Opposites

execution quality

make a hash ofnail

Metal fastener or keratin plate

ace · perfect · master · pull off · carry off

outcome state

make a hash ofstraighten out

Correct or organize properly

sort out · put in order · tidy up · fix · set right

Family

make, makes, made, making, maker, makers, hash, hashes, hashed

Familiarity: Top 200,000
Profile: Timeless · Abstract · Negative · Everyday, not technical · Rated G