ENGLISH
REFERENCE

balls up

phr. v..
C1 Advanced Oxford Slang Vulgar

phr. v.. to make a big mistake or do something very badly. You use this when you completely ruin a plan or a task.

phr. v.. to bungle, botch, or ruin a task through incompetence or carelessness; highly informal and potentially offensive in some contexts.


SIMPLE

I really balls up the interview yesterday.

CONTEXTUAL

The caterers completely balls up the wedding cake, so we had to buy one from the supermarket.

COMPLEX

The administration managed to balls up the entire logistics operation, leading to a public relations disaster that lasted for weeks.

Particles
up
Separability
optional
Pattern
balls + (object) + up
Usage

British slang; it is informal and can be seen as mildly vulgar, so avoid it in professional settings.

Teaching tip

explain that while 'balls' refers to testicles, the phrase is used commonly in British English to mean 'to mess up', similar to the American 'screw up'.

Pitfall

He balls up it.He balls it up.when using a pronoun like 'it', it must go between the verb and the particle.

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