foul-up
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- An embarrassing mistake: A "foul-up" is a blunder or error that causes confusion, problems, or embarrassment. It often implies a failure in planning, execution, or procedure.
Usage
- The word "foul-up" is a countable noun. It is typically used in informal contexts to describe a situation where something has gone wrong due to an error.
- It is often preceded by words like "a," "the," "this," or "that" (e.g., ).
Examples
- Noun:
- The ticket foul-up left hundreds of fans unable to enter the stadium.
- There was a foul-up in the scheduling, so two meetings were booked for the same room.
- I apologize for the foul-up; we sent your package to the wrong address.
Advanced Usage
- "to be a foul-up": Describes a person who habitually makes mistakes.
- After missing the third deadline, he's starting to get a reputation as a real foul-up.
- The term can describe both the mistake itself and the resulting state of confusion or disorder.
- The foul-up at the factory caused a three-day production delay.
Variants and Related Words
- Foul up (verb phrase): To make a mistake or to ruin something.
- Be careful not to foul up the calculations.
- Foul-up (hyphenated noun): The form explained here. Note that the hyphen is often used in the noun form to distinguish it from the verb phrase.
Synonyms
- Blunder: A stupid or careless mistake.
- Snafu: A chaotic or confused situation, typically arising from a mistake (acronym from military slang: Situation Normal: All Fouled Up).
- Botch: A bungled or poorly carried out task.
Related Phrases
- Screw-up (noun, very informal): A serious mistake or failure.
- The data loss was a complete screw-up by the IT department.
- Mix-up (noun): A confusion or mistake that causes things to be misplaced or misunderstood.
- There was a mix-up with the hotel reservations.
Noun
- an embarrassing mistake