to bollocks up
1
9.9
- phrasal verb
- /ˈbɒlɒks ʌp/
- Offensive
:
cagarla
- Don't bollocks up this simple task; just follow the instructions carefully.
Examples
-
He completely bollocksed up the presentation by forgetting all his notes.
-
Well, I bollocksed that up.
Blog text (14) -
Bollocksed up at work again, I fear.
-
I'm not letting you bollocks it up and all!
-
Half a crown says Alan bollockses this up entirely.
-
He bollocksed it up!
-
If you bollocks up your chance at a promotion, you'll regret it later.
Synonyms
∞
4.2
To handle something in a way that causes damage or problems
641
6.3
To make a mistake that ruins what you are doing
597
2.8
To make a mistake that causes a problem
203
9.9
To make a serious mistake that ruins something
80
2.8
To make something less good or enjoyable
65
2.7
To make people confused and things messy
63
6.0
To do something badly and spoil the result
37
9.9
To do something badly and ruin how it turns out
20
4.9
Deal with something badly so it causes problems or damage
19
3.5
To do something clumsily and make a mistake
18
5.4
To move in a clumsy, confused way
16
6.8
To do something clumsily so it causes mistakes
8
6.4
To make a mistake that ruins something because you are careless
5
8.2
To fail to catch or handle something because you are clumsy
5
7.6
To ruin something by making mistakes or doing it badly
4
8.1
To make a mess of a plan or task by doing it badly
2
5.4
To make a mistake especially by forgetting words on stage
2
6.8
To make an embarrassing mistake because you are careless or nervous
2
6.7
Do a job badly and make a mess of it
1
9.9
To pass poo or, in slang, to fail and make a mess of something
1
2.1
Make a place messy so things are not in order
1
9.9
To cause a lot of damage and chaos to a place or thing
1
8.4
To do something wrong by accident in a small, silly way
1
4.2
Do something that is a serious and embarrassing mistake
1
7.9
To do something badly and ruin how it turns out
1
9.3
Do something very badly and spoil how it turns out
1
8.2
To do something foolish or embarrassing by mistake
1
9.9
To ruin something by making a mistake or being careless
Do a job badly so it does not work
To do something badly so it goes wrong
To do something badly and make it fail
To ruin something completely by making serious mistakes
To spoil or ruin something by making a careless mistake
To ruin something by doing it badly
To make a serious, embarrassing mistake by being careless
To ruin something by a careless mistake
To make a plan or process become confused and fail
Antonyms
How Badly
Surface Forms
Morphology
bollocks + up
Although the particle 'up' signals a typical verb+particle completion/ruin sense, the core word 'bollocks' is British slang with idiomatic and coarse senses that are not transparently compositional from its literal meaning. A learner who knows the constituents might partly guess a negative or disruptive meaning because of the phrasal pattern, but the slang/dialectal nature and non-literal history make the exact sense only partially predictable.
Etymology
Bollocks up comes from the rude British word bollocks, which literally means 'testicles' but people also use it to mean 'nonsense' or a big mistake. With up it gives the strong image of making something into a mess, so the phrase means 'to ruin' or 'to mess up'.