make a hash of something
Meaning: To do something very badly.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “I made a hash of the speech and forgot half of it.”
Category: Food & Drink
Origin: A "hash" is a dish of chopped-up leftovers, so a thing made into a hash is a jumble. The phrase is recorded from the 18th century.
Other ways to say this
- Greek: Τα έκανε θάλασσα — literally: He turned it all into a sea
- Portuguese: Pisar na bola — literally: To step on the ball
- Spanish: No dar pie con bola — literally: To not give foot to ball
- English: be off one's game
- English: drop the ball
More idioms — Food & Drink
- Tomber dans les pommes — Suddenly losing consciousness — possibly derived from the older expression 'être dans les…
- Avoir la moutarde qui monte au nez — To be getting angry.
- Pédaler dans la semoule — To be confused and getting nowhere.
- Raconter des salades — To tell lies or tall tales.
- En faire tout un fromage — To make a big deal out of nothing.
- Mettre son grain de sel — To give an unsolicited opinion.
More English idioms
- play dumb — To pretend not to know or understand something.
- all hell breaks loose — Chaos and disorder suddenly erupt.
- make short work of something — To deal with or finish something quickly.
- you've made your bed, now lie in it — You must accept the consequences of your own choices.
- be put out to pasture — To be retired or set aside as no longer useful.
- an uphill battle — A long, difficult struggle.