goof-up

Or goof·up

[goof-uhp]

noun

Slang.

1. a person who habitually makes mistakes, spoils things, gets into trouble, etc., especially through carelessness or irresponsibility.

2. a mistake, blunder, malfunction, or the like.

Word History and Origins

Origin of goof up¹

First recorded in 1940–45; noun use of verb phrase goof up

Idioms and Phrases

Blunder, make a mistake, spoil. For example, I really goofed up and got all the dates wrong. This expression emerged in the military during World War II, along with the synonymous goof off. Quite often up is omitted, as in Sorry, I goofed. [Slang; c. 1940]

Related Words

• blunder 
• breach 
• crime 
• error 
• failing 
• failure 
• fault 
• indiscretion 
• miscue 
• negligence 
• offense 
• omission 
• oversight 
• sin 
• transgression 
• violation