botch

¹ American  

[boch] / bɒtʃ /

noun

1. a swelling on the skin; a boil.

2. an eruptive disease.

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botch ² American  

[boch] / bɒtʃ /

verb (used with object)

1. to spoil by poor work; bungle (often followed byup ).

   He botched up the job thoroughly.

   Synonyms:

   flub, butcher, muff, mismanage, ruin

2. to do or say in a bungling manner.

3. to mend or patch in a clumsy manner.

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noun

1. a clumsy or poor piece of work; bungle.

   He made a complete botch of his first attempt at baking.

2. a clumsily added part or patch.

3. a disorderly or confused combination.

botch British  

/ bɒtʃ /

verb

1. to spoil through clumsiness or ineptitude

2. to repair badly or clumsily

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noun

1. Also called: botch-up.  a badly done piece of work or repair (esp in the phrase make a botch of ( something ))

Other Word Forms

• botcher noun
• botchery noun

Etymology

Origin of botch¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English bocche, botch(e), from Old North French boche, dialectal variant of Old French, Middle French boce boss ²

Origin of botch¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English bocchen “to patch up”; perhaps to be identified with bocchen “to swell up, bulge” (verbal derivative of bocche botch ² ), though sense development unclear

Example Sentences

The trial at the Pretoria High Court has been beset by challenges, including changes in judges and legal teams, and allegations that police botched the investigation.

From BBC

Celtic fans spent so long at the start of the season cheering themselves up from a botched Champions League qualification campaign and their own side's shortcomings by pointing across the city.

From BBC

The Spanish parishioner who made headlines around the world for her botched restoration of a prized Jesus Christ fresco has died aged 94.

From BBC

The U.S. botched copying and pasting a relatively straightforward warship already in service in Europe.

From The Wall Street Journal

But the evidence is mounting that the department’s brass blew it, or, to borrow a phrase from Bass, “botched it.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bobble
• bumble
• bungle
• err
• flub
• fumble
• miscalculate
• mishandle
• misjudge
• mismanage
• muff
• screw up