foul up
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foul up
To mess up or ruin something. The threat of a hurricane really fouled up our vacation plans! Boy, you really fouled up this report, and I don't have time to fix it right now.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
foul someone or something up
to cause disorder and confusion for someone or something; to tangle up someone or something; to mess someone or something up. Go away! Don't foul me up any more. You've fouled up my whole day. Watch out! You're going to foul up my kite strings.
foul up
to blunder; to mess up. Please don't foul up this time. The quarterback fouled up in the first quarter, and that lost us the game.
fouled up
messed up; ruined; tangled up. (Usually as fouled-up when attributive.) This is sure a fouled-up mess. You sure are fouled up, you know.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
foul up
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]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
foul up
v.
1. To blunder because of mistakes or poor judgment: I've tried many times to pass this test, but this time I really fouled up.
2. To cause someone or something to blunder: The howling dogs distracted me and fouled up my concentration. The pain in my hand fouled me up and I couldn't aim my camera.
3. To clog or became entangled in something: The seaweed fouled up the propeller blades. The dangling cables fouled the machinery up, thereby causing the breakdown.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
foul up
1. in. to blunder; to mess up. The quarterback fouled up in the first quarter, and that lost us the game.
2. n. a blunder; an error. (Usually foul-up.) That was a fine foul-up! Is that your specialty?
fouled up
mod. messed up; ruined; tangled up. You sure are fouled up, you know.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.