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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

See Examples For:

foul-up foul up

Rumors, recently debunked, spread that the town fired two workers over the foul-up, though neither processed payments.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

“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

After that, Barney steps way back, and Lee, after a major mission foul-up, is fired by his girlfriend, played by Megan Fox, who takes over the leadership role.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 22, 2023

The payment foul-up comes amid an atmosphere of pronounced dysfunction for Washington’s beleaguered football franchise.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 19, 2022

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

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

Will this dirty business foul up anyone’s career?

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2025

The pandemic, he fears, will continue to foul up his touring schedule.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 18, 2022

“Losses are great because we’re living in a world that is very integrated with supply chains that have to be very efficient and effective, and when you stop them, things foul up and costs rise.”

From The Guardian ● Feb. 17, 2019

Self-deleting messages can also foul up long-established record-retention practices and, for some federal employees, they may constitute a violation of the law.

From New York Times ● Jul. 6, 2017

Some inmates, for example, would try to flush something huge, like a bedsheet, in hopes it might foul up the entire block’s plumbing or allow them to flood the gallery.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover