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screwup — a mistake or failure, especially due to incompetence or carelessness

Part of speech: NOUN

Definition: a mistake or failure, especially due to incompetence or carelessness

Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈskruːʌp/

Example Sentences

  • Don't blame me for this screwup - it was your idea to hire him!
  • The wedding became a complete screwup when the cake collapsed.
  • Management blamed the screwup on poor communication.

screwup

NOUN

[/ˈskruːʌp/]

a mistake or failure, especially due to incompetence or carelessness

His tiny screwup in the kitchen turned dinner into a smoky disaster.
💡 Concept

His tiny screwup in the kitchen turned dinner into a smoky disaster.

One screwup turned the startup into a blowup!
🎵 Rhyme

One screwup turned the startup into a blowup!

Got the picture? Now let's practice.

🎤Pronunciation

🇺🇸 US/ˈskruːʌp/
🇬🇧 UK/ˈskruːʌp/

🌳Etymology

Rootscrew
Suffix-up

Origin

Screwup emerged in American slang during the 1960s as a noun derived from the phrasal verb 'screw up.' While 'screw' originally referred to a fastening device, it acquired the figurative sense of 'to bungle or make a mistake' in early 20th-century colloquial English, from which the noun form developed.

Breakdown

screw (to bungle, botch) + up (particle indicating completion or intensification) = screwup (a bungling action or a person who makes mistakes).

🎵Rhyme

blowup
holdup
lineup
startup

🔗Collocations

major screwup
total screwup
avoid screwups
administrative screwup
costly screwup

📝Examples

😄 Fun example

“Don't blame me for this screwup - it was your idea to hire him!”

😄 Fun example

“The wedding became a complete screwup when the cake collapsed.”

“Management blamed the screwup on poor communication.”

😄 Fun example

“This software screwup deleted all my vacation photos!”

📚Related Words

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