make a hash of

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.

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

Do it, make a hash of it, take my bollocking.

From The Guardian

In the history of the printed word, there are about four or five books that do a sex scene sexily, about four or five billion that make a hash of one.

From The Guardian

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