foul-up

American  

[foul-uhp] / ˈfaʊlˌʌp /

noun

Informal.

1. a condition of difficulty or disorder brought on by inefficiency, stupidity, etc.

2. failure of a mechanical part to operate correctly.

3. a person who habitually makes mistakes; bungler.

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foul up British  

verb

1. (tr) to bungle; mismanage

2. (tr) to make dirty; contaminate

3. to be or cause to be blocked, choked, or entangled

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noun

1. a state of confusion or muddle caused by bungling

foul up Idioms  

1. Blunder or cause to blunder; botch, ruin. For example, He's fouled up this report, but I think we can fix it, or Our plans were fouled up by the bad weather. This expression is widely believed to have originated as a euphemism for fuck up. [Colloquial; c. 1940]

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Etymology

Origin of foul-up

1950–55, noun use of verb phrase foul up

Example Sentences

“The reason why you wouldn’t check a bag is that eliminates one of the foul-up points,” Brancatelli said.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 16, 2023

What had seemed like abandonment turned out to be a pet-sitting foul-up, but the owner also needed help with some veterinary issues, said Kris Lindsay, who oversees the recovery center.

From Seattle Times • May 7, 2023

His own error dropped him from third to sixth in Imola, followed by the Barcelona engine failure and the strategy foul-up that turned a win into a fourth place in Monaco.

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2022

Peter Erwin, a project manager for the congress, said there had been at least 23 deportations since then, including a man sent back by Germany as result of a bureaucratic foul-up.

From New York Times • Oct. 27, 2018

A mistake, maybe — a foul-up in the paperwork.

From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien