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• foul-up
  foul-up

  noun

  a condition of difficulty or disorder brought on by inefficiency, stupidity, etc.
• foul up
  foul up

  verb

  (tr) to bungle; mismanage

foul-up

American  

[foul-uhp] / ˈfaʊlˌʌp /

noun

Informal.

1. a condition of difficulty or disorder brought on by inefficiency, stupidity, etc.

2. failure of a mechanical part to operate correctly.

3. a person who habitually makes mistakes; bungler.

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foul up British  

verb

1. (tr) to bungle; mismanage

2. (tr) to make dirty; contaminate

3. to be or cause to be blocked, choked, or entangled

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noun

1. a state of confusion or muddle caused by bungling

foul up Idioms  

1. 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]

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Etymology

Origin of foul-up

1950–55, noun use of verb phrase foul up

Example Sentences

“The reason why you wouldn’t check a bag is that eliminates one of the foul-up points,” Brancatelli said.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 16, 2023

His own error dropped him from third to sixth in Imola, followed by the Barcelona engine failure and the strategy foul-up that turned a win into a fourth place in Monaco.

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2022

The foul-up was caused by understaffing and a lack of training at the gates.

From New York Times • Sep. 10, 2021

Councilmember Dave Upthegrove said he told Constantine that he’d be supportive if Constantine decided to hold individuals accountable for the foul-up, including, potentially, firings.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 11, 2019

A mistake, maybe — a foul-up in the paperwork.

From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien