make a mess of
verb
Roget 699: be unskillful etc. adj.; not see an inch beyond one's nose; blunder, bungle, boggle, fumble, botch, bitch, flounder, stumble, trip; hobble etc. 275; put one's foot in it; make a mess of, make hash of, make sad work of; overshoot the mark. play tricks with, play Puck, mismanage, misconduct, misdirect, misapply, missend. stultify oneself, make a fool of oneself, commit oneself; act foolishly; play the fool; put oneself out of court; lose control, lose control of oneself, lose one's head, lose one's cunning. begin at the wrong end; do things by halves etc. (not complete) 730; make two bites of a cherry; play at cross purposes; strain at a gnat and swallow a camel etc. (caprice) 608; put the cart before the horse; lock the stable door when the horse is stolen etc. (too late) 135. not know what one is about, not know one's own interest, not know on which side one's bread is buttered; stand in one's own light, quarrel with one's bread and butter, throw a stone in one's own garden, kill the goose which lays the golden eggs, pay dear for one's whistle, cut one's own throat, bum one's fingers; knock one's head against a stone wall, beat one's head against a stone wall; fall into a trap, catch a Tartar, bring the house about one's ears; have too many eggs in one basket (imprudent) 863, have too many irons in the fire. mistake etc. 495; take the shadow for the substance etc. (credulity) 486; bark up the wrong tree; be in the wrong box, aim at a pigeon and kill a crow; take the wrong pig by the tail, get the wrong pig by the tail, get the wrong sow by the ear, get the dirty end of the stick; put the saddle on the wrong horse, put a square peg into a round hole, put new wine into old bottles. cut blocks with a razor; hold a farthing candle to the sun etc. (useless) 645; fight with a shadow, grasp at a shadow; catch at straws, lean on a broken reed, reckon without one's host, pursue a wild goose chase; go on a fool's goose chase, sleeveless errand; go further and fare worse; lose one's way, miss one's way; fail etc. 732. ... show more
Roget 732: fail; be unsuccessful etc. adj.; not succeed etc. 731; make vain efforts etc. n.; do in vain, labor in vain, toil in vain; flunk [U.S.]; lose one's labor, take nothing by one's motion; bring to naught, make nothing of; wash a blackamoor white etc. (impossible) 471; roll the stones of Sisyphus etc. (useless) 645; do by halves etc. (not complete) 730; lose ground etc. (recede) 282; fall short of etc. 304. miss, miss one's aim, miss the mark, miss one's footing, miss stays; slip, trip, stumble; make a slip etc. n.. blunder etc. 495, make a mess of, make a botch of; bitch it†, miscarry, abort, go up like a rocket and come down like the stick, come down in flames, get shot down, reckon without one's host; get the wrong pig by the tail, get the wrong sow by the ear etc. (blunder), )mismanage) 699. limp, halt, hobble, titubate†; fall, tumble; lose one's balance; fall to the ground, fall between two stools; flounder, falter, stick in the mud, run aground, split upon a rock; beat one's head against a stone wall, run one's head against a stone wall, knock one's head against a stone wall, dash one's head against a stone wall; break one's back; break down, sink, drown, founder, have the ground cut from under one; get into trouble, get into a mess, get into a scrape; come to grief etc. (adversity) 735; go to the wall, go to the dogs, go to pot; lick the dust, bite the dust; be defeated etc. 731; have the worst of it, lose the day, come off second best, lose; fall a prey to; succumb etc. (submit) 725; not have a leg to stand on. come to nothing, end in smoke; flat out†; fall to the ground, fall through, fall dead, fall stillborn, fall flat; slip through one's fingers; hang fire, miss fire; flash in the pan, collapse; topple down etc. (descent) 305; go to wrack and ruin etc. (destruction) 162. go amiss, go wrong, go cross, go hard with, go on a wrong tack; go on ill, come off ill, turn out ill, work ill; take a wrong term, take an ugly term; take an ugly turn, take a turn for the worse. be all over with, be all up with; explode; dash one's hopes etc. (disappoint) 509; defeat the purpose; sow the wind and reap the whirlwind, jump out of the frying pan into the fire, go from the frying pan into the fire. ... show more
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