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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Origin of goof-up
First recorded in 1940–45; noun use of verb phrase goof up
Words nearby goof-up
go off, go off half-cocked, go off the deep end, goof-off, goof on, goof-up, goofus, goofy, goofy-footer, goog, Google
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Idioms and Phrases with goof-up
goof up
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]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.