make the wrong call

To incorrectly assess a situation and thus make a decision that leads to problems, annoyances, or otherwise unfavorable outcomes. I definitely made the wrong call going out in this snowstorm—it took me two hours to drive back home! It's too much pressure being a doctor. If you make the wrong call about a patient's course of treatment, they could end up dead! The video replay confirmed that the referee had made the wrong call on the field, so the touchdown was overturned.