goof-up
or goof·up
[ goof-uhp ]
/ ˈgufˌʌp /
noun Slang.
a person who habitually makes mistakes, spoils things, gets into trouble, etc., especially through carelessness or irresponsibility.
a mistake, blunder, malfunction, or the like.
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RELATED WORDS
offense, failing, miscue, negligence, violation, fault, indiscretion, omission, blunder, failure, transgression, error, breach, crime, oversight, sin, misunderstanding, miscalculation, mix-up, foul-up
Nearby words
Origin of goof-up
First recorded in 1940–45; noun use of verb phrase goof up
Origin of goof
1915–20; apparently variant of obsolete goff dolt < Middle French goffe awkward, stupid
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
goof
/ (ɡuːf) informal /
noun
a foolish error or mistake
a stupid person
verb
to bungle (something); botch
(intr; often foll by about or around) to fool (around); mess (about)
(tr) to dope with drugs
(intr often foll by off) US and Canadian to waste time; idle
Word Origin for goof
C20: probably from (dialect) goff simpleton, from Old French goffe clumsy, from Italian goffo, of obscure origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper