foul-up
a condition of difficulty or disorder brought on by inefficiency, stupidity, etc.
failure of a mechanical part to operate correctly.
a person who habitually makes mistakes; bungler.
Origin of foul-up
1Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use foul-up in a sentence
“Peters claims a foul up at the turning point,” said some one of the gentlemen.
The Young Oarsmen of Lakeview | Ralph BonehillHe worked on the line next to Ernie, and had witnessed the foul-up this morning.
All Day Wednesday | Richard OlinI've spent a lot of time setting things up so he could hardly help but foul up and we could bounce him, but what happens?
I Was a Teen-Age Secret Weapon | Richard Sabia"I'm glad I didn't foul up your test completely, anyway," said Bonnie slowly.
The Colonists | Raymond F. JonesIt was only by the narrowest hair, but that had been enough to foul up my plans.
A Spaceship Named McGuire | Gordon Randall Garrett
British Dictionary definitions for foul up
(tr) to bungle; mismanage
(tr) to make dirty; contaminate
to be or cause to be blocked, choked, or entangled
a state of confusion or muddle caused by bungling
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with foul-up
Blunder or cause to blunder; botch, ruin. For example, He's fouled up this report, but I think we can fix it, or Our plans were fouled up by the bad weather. This expression is widely believed to have originated as a euphemism for fuck up. [Colloquial; c. 1940]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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