botch

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɒt͡ʃ/
• IPA^(key): /bɑt͡ʃ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɒtʃ

Etymology 1

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle English bocchen (“to mend”), of uncertain origin. Possibly from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old English bōtettan (“to improve; cure; remedy; repair”), or from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle Dutch botsen, butsen, boetsen (“to repair; patch”), related to beat.

Verb

1. (transitive) To perform (a task) in an unacceptable or incompetent manner; to make a mess of something

   A botched haircut seems to take forever to grow out.

   Synonyms: ruin, bungle, spoil, destroy

2. To do something without skill, without care, or clumsily. (Can we add an example for this sense?)
3. To repair or mend clumsily.

Synonyms

• bodge

Translations

to perform (a task) in an unacceptable or incompetent manner

• Bulgarian: извършвам нескопосано (izvǎršvam neskoposano)
• Catalan: potinejar (ca)
• Dutch: verprutsen (nl)
• Esperanto: fuŝi (eo)
• Finnish: tunaroida
• French: saccager (fr), rater (fr)
• German: verpfuschen (de), pfuschen (de), (colloquial) vermurksen (de), vergeigen (de) (colloquial), verbocken (de)
• Hungarian: elfuserál (hu), elront (hu), elszúr (hu), elgányol
• Irish: praiseach a dhéanamh de
• Italian: malfare, raffazzonare (it), pasticciare (it), rovinare (it), abborracciare (it)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Norman: bôtchi
• Polish: partaczyć (pl) impf, spartaczyć pf, partolić impf, spartolić pf, fuszerować impf, sfuszerować pf
• Portuguese: arruinar (pt)
• Russian: запороть (ru) (zaporotʹ), испортить (ru) (isportitʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: упропа́стити

  Roman: upropástiti (sh)

• Slovak: zbabrať
• Spanish: desbarrar (es), chapucear (es)
• Welsh: cawlio (cy), poitsio

to do something without skill, without care, or clumsily

• Bulgarian: скърпвам (bg) (skǎrpvam)
• Czech: fušovat
• Esperanto: fuŝi (eo)
• Finnish: tunaroida
• French: bâcler (fr), rater (fr)
• German: pfuschen (de), stümpern (de)
• Hungarian: kontárkodik (hu), fuserál (hu), gányol (hu)
• Italian: raffazzonare (it), rabberciare (it)
• Norman: bôtchi
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: slurve

• Portuguese: atrapalhar-se
• Russian: накосячить (ru) (nakosjačitʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: сфушерити

  Roman: sfušeriti

• Spanish: desbarrar (es), chapucear (es)

• Irish: ^{(please verify)} abach a dhéanamh ar
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Noun

botch (plural botches)

1. An action, job, or task that has been performed very badly; a ruined, defective, or clumsy piece of work. (Can we add an example for this sense?)
   • 1606, William Shakespeare, Macbeth, act 3, scene 1

     To leave no rubs nor botches in the work

2. A patch put on, or a part of a garment patched or mended in a clumsy manner.
3. A mistake that is very stupid or embarrassing. (Can we add an example for this sense?)
4. A messy, disorderly or confusing combination; conglomeration; hodgepodge.
5. (archaic) One who makes a mess of something; a bungler.
   • 1863, Sheridan Le Fanu, The House by the Churchyard

     If it was the last word I ever spoke, Puddock, you're a good-natured—he's a gentleman, Sir—and it was all my own fault; he warned me, he did, again' swallyin' a dhrop of it—remember what I'm saying, doctor—'twas I that done it; I was always a botch, Puddock, an' a fool; and—and—gentlemen—good-bye.

Translations

An action, job, or task that has been performed very badly

• Bulgarian: нескопосана работа (neskoposana rabota)
• Catalan: bunyol (ca) m
• Esperanto: fuŝaĵo
• German: Pfusch (de) m, (colloquial) Murks (de) m
• Hungarian: kontármunka (hu), fusermunka
• Irish: praiseach f, prácás m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: pasticcio (it), pastrocchio (it) m, guazzabuglio (it) m
• Polish: partanina f, chałtura (pl) f, fuszerka (pl) f, amatorszczyzna f
• Russian: халту́ра (ru) f (xaltúra)
• Spanish: chapucería f, pifia (es)
• Welsh: traed moch m

a ruined, defective, or clumsy piece of work; mess; bungle

• Esperanto: fuŝaĵo
• German: Pfusch (de) m
• Hungarian: kontármunka (hu), fusermunka
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Polish: fuszerka (pl) f
• Slovak: nepodarok
• Spanish: chapuza (es) f

a mistake that is very stupid or embarrassing

• Esperanto: fuŝaĵo
• Polish: kwiatek (pl) m anim, wielbłąd (pl) m anim
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Spanish: pifia (es)

Related terms

• bodge

See also

• foul up
• mess up
• screw up

Etymology 2

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Anglo-Norman boche, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Late Latin bocia (“boss”).

Noun

botch (plural botches)

1. (obsolete) A tumour or other malignant swelling.
   • (Can we date this quote by John Milton and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     Botches and blains must all his flesh emboss.

2. A case or outbreak of boils or sores.
   • 1395, John Wycliffe, Bible, Job II:

     Therfor Sathan ȝede out fro the face of the Lord, and smoot Joob with a ful wickid botche fro the sole of the foot til to his top [...].

   • 1611, Bible (Authorized Version), Deuteronomy XXVIII:

     The LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed.