bollix
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Verb: - To bungle, botch, or make a mess of something; to handle something incompetently, resulting in confusion, failure, or ruin.
Usage
The verb "bollix" is informal and often used to describe an action where someone ruins or spoils a task through clumsiness, error, or mismanagement. It is typically used with an object (e.g., to bollix something).
Examples
Advanced Usage
- "to bollix up": This phrasal verb is a very common variant with the same meaning as "bollix." It emphasizes the act of making something confused or non-functional.
- The new software update bollixed up the entire network.
- I think I bollixed up the recipe by adding salt instead of sugar.
Variants and Related Words
- Bollix can also be spelled bolix.
- Bollocks (verb, chiefly British): A related term meaning to mess something up, though it is also a vulgar noun.
- Botch (verb): To carry out a task badly or carelessly.
- Screw up (verb, phrasal): To make a mistake or mismanage something (informal).
Synonyms
- Botch
- Bungle
- Mishandle
- Mismanage
- Flub
- Foul up
- Mess up
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Bollix up: To ruin or confuse something. (See "Advanced Usage" for examples.)
Verb
- make a mess of, destroy or ruin
- I botched the dinner and we had to eat out
- the pianist screwed up the difficult passage in the second movement