foul-up
[ foul-uhp ]
/ ˈfaʊlˌʌp /
noun Informal.
a condition of difficulty or disorder brought on by inefficiency, stupidity, etc.
failure of a mechanical part to operate correctly.
a person who habitually makes mistakes; bungler.
Origin of foul-up
1950–55,
Americanism; noun use of verb phrase
foul up
Words nearby foul-up
Definition for foul up (2 of 2)
Origin of foul
before 900; (adj. and noun) Middle English
ful, foul, Old English
fūl; cognate with Gothic
fuls, Old Norse
fūll, Old High German
fūl; akin to Latin
pūs
pus,
pūtēre to stink, Greek
pýon pus; (adv.) Middle English
fule, foule, derivative of the adj.; (v.) Middle English
fulen, derivative of the adj.
synonym study for foul
3. See
dirty.
OTHER WORDS FROM foul
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH foul
foul fowlBritish Dictionary definitions for foul up (1 of 2)
foul up
verb (adverb)
(tr)
to bungle; mismanage
(tr)
to make dirty; contaminate
to be or cause to be blocked, choked, or entangled
noun foul-up
a state of confusion or muddle caused by bungling
British Dictionary definitions for foul up (2 of 2)
See also
foul up
Derived forms of foul
foully, adverbWord Origin for foul
Old English
fūl; related to Old Norse
fūll, Gothic
fūls smelling offensively, Latin
pūs
pus, Greek
puol pus
Idioms and Phrases with foul up (1 of 2)
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]
Idioms and Phrases with foul up (2 of 2)
foul