IdiomFood & Drink
English
Englishmake a hash of something
Meaning: To do something very badly.
Example: “I made a hash of the speech and forgot half of it.”
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
Romanian: A o da în bară Literally: To hit it into the post
Spanish: No dar pie con bola Literally: To not give foot to ball- English: drop the ball
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.
- be put out to pasture To be retired or set aside as no longer useful.
- an uphill battle A long, difficult struggle.
- have all one's marbles To be of sound mind.
Explore another collection: False Friends
Words that look familiar in another language but mean something else entirely.
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