make a hash of

Idioms  

1. Also, make a mess of. Ruin or spoil something, as in They've made a hash of their financial affairs, or She thought he'd make a mess of the garden. The first term, first recorded in 1833, uses hash in the sense of “a jumble of mangled fragments”; the variant, using mess in the sense of “a muddle” or “a state of confusion,” was first recorded in 1862.

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Example Sentences

Instead, students who borrow would get a subsidy on the back end through the more generous repayment program, years later, if they know it exists, enroll without incident, clear every hurdle over a decade or two and their loan servicer doesn’t make a hash of it.

From New York Times

There are plenty of sayings that make you want to roll your eyes, but “make a hash of” is one that really gets under my skin.

From Washington Post

The quickest way to make a hash of your neatly frozen files is to misplace the personal identification number that the credit bureaus give you.

From New York Times

Will Prince Charles, a much less popular figure than his mother, make a hash of it when it is his turn to take the helm of The Firm?

From The Guardian

“I received a call from Si’s far less reticent lieutenant, the late Steve Florio, a mustachioed cigar-wielding boulevardier of the executive suite, who put matters to me in approximately these soothing terms: ‘Would you kindly direct yourself to the office in 10 minutes and please don’t make a hash of it.’”

From New York Times