We’ve all had moments where we’ve really and truly screwed something up. An epic mistake (OK, maybe not on a historic, global scale like the February 26, 2017 Oscars). But still, we’re human, and mistakes do happen.
There are a lot of words to describe things going south in a hurry. We’ve gathered a few here. You’ll notice they’re all very close in definition. Maybe there are so many synonyms for messing up because it can be such an emotional experience. Some of these are regional (not many Americans would say bollocks), and some are acronyms (think snafu). Making mistakes isn’t generally enjoyable, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have some fun describing them.
Botch
To botch something is “to do or say in a bungling manner.” The word originally came from Middle English (from around 1350–1400). Best example: Warren Beatty botched the Oscar announcement for Best Picture.
Goof
We define goof as “to spoil or make a mess of (something).” A great example is You really goofed up the job.
Bollix
Dictionary.com says bollix means “to do (something) badly; bungle (often followed by up), E.g. ‘His interference bollixed up the whole deal.’” This word is also spelled bolix and bollocks, which has a decidedly British feel to it. Bollocks generally means rubbish or nonsense. Just be aware, bollocks can also refer to testicles (which is totally separate from what we’re talking about right now).
Snafu
Snafu is an acronym meaning “situation normal: all fouled up.” This bit of military slang dates back to 1941. Soldiers usually employ a certain four-letter expletive in place of the word fouled.
Muck Up
Another term that sounds primarily British. If you ruin something or bungle it (there’s that word again) to the point of complete confusion, you’ve mucked it up. It totally works if you try saying it out loud in a British accent.
Make Hash Of
The most popular definition of hash is a type of food consisting of chopped meat. It also means “to discuss,” as in We’re going to hash it out at the meeting. Rehash means “to recount or retell something,” like He rehashed the whole story for the benefit of those who were late. In this instance, though, we’re talking about to make hash of, which is “to spoil or botch.” For example, The new writer made a hash of his first assignment.
Flub
You tend to hear this word at basketball games. The announcer will say, “He really flubbed that shot.” You can probably guess from context what they mean.
Foul-Up
This term is used to describe a person who chronically makes mistakes, as in He’s a real foul-up. We define it this way: “a condition of difficulty or disorder brought on by inefficiency, stupidity, etc.”
Muddle
The word muddle is also a perfect example of what happened at Oscars in 2017: “to mix up in a confused or bungling manner; jumble.” Oops. And in case you missed it, here’s the big snafu/flub/foul-up that was on everybody’s lips.
