muck up meaning (informal): definition, etymology and quotations

muck up

verbalso spelled muck-up

Informal To ruin unintentionally.

The terrorists have really mucked up our holiday plans.
That’s why they’re called the Founders? Yes, because it will be their job to repair a world that millennials have mucked up beyond repair.2015 December 2, “The Founders, the Plurals, iGen or ReGen – what should we call the post-millennials?”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

2 more examples

“Looking at our season so far, we have to be honest and admit that we mucked it up ourselves,” Özil told the German website spox.com. “We did not play to our potential in the games against the so-called smaller teams. You immediately get punished for that in the Premier League.2016 March 31, Reuters, quoting Mesut Özil, “Mesut Özil: Arsenal ‘mucked it up ourselves’ as trophy hopes recede”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
He said that this was simply a “historical fact” and that he could “see no reason why every other country in the world should be prevented from feeling pride in itself because the Germans mucked up twice in a century”.2023 May 17, Adam Robertson, quoting Douglas Murray, “Author sparks backlash with 'Germany mucked up twice' comment”, in The National:

Australia, Informal To clown around; to have fun, often at the expense of others.

noun

Etymology Deverbal from muck up.

Informal The act of botching something; an incompetent mistake.