mess up | Idiomator

Meaning: (transitive)To make amessof; tountidy,disorder,soil, ormuss.The afternoon breezemessed upmy hair.1962, S. Schoeman,Strike!: A Handbook of Angling in South African Coastal Waters, page58:[…]kwatumas, those aggressive and sharp-toothed eels that so thoroughlymess upone's tackle when hooked[…]; (transitive)To cause aproblemwith; to introduce anerrorormistakein; to makemuddledorconfused;spoil;ruin.The changemessedsomethingup, and it's not working anymore.; ; (transitive)Tobotch,bungle; to perform poorly on.Well, Imessed upmy solo, but otherwise it was a good concert.; (intransitive)To make a mistake; to do somethingincorrectly; to perform poorly.He has a hard time getting started because he's afraid he'llmess up.Shemessed upon her final exam.; (transitive)To cause (another person) to make unwanted mistakes in a given task, usually through distraction or obnoxious behavior.Stop bumping me! You keepmessingmeup!; (transitive)Todamage;injure.Hemessed uphis elbow at the track meet.; (transitive,slang)Tomanhandle;beat up;rough up.Her brother's friendsmessedhimupa little after he cheated on her.; (transitive,slang)Todiscombobulate, utterly confuse, or confoundpsychologically; to throw into a state of mental disarray.That girl totallymessedmeup, man. I'm not sure who I am anymore.

Examples:

EN: You mess up my plan, if you don't come straight away.
ES: Destruyes mi plan si no vienes enseguida.
EN: I'm not going to let it mess up my whole life.
ES: No quiero estropear mi vida.
EN: And I'm in this mess up to my neck, and they know it.
ES: Estoy hasta el cuello en esto, y ellos lo saben.
EN: You'll make one fine mess up of it.
ES: - La echarás a perder.
EN: Is there anything you'll take not to mess up my life?
ES: ¿Hay algo que pueda hacer para que no me arruine la vida?
EN: Clean that mess up while I get something to put it in.
ES: Recoge todo esto mientras me cambio otra vez.
EN: And you're in this mess up to your neck.
ES: Está metido en esto hasta el cuello.
EN: This man wants to mess up my trunks after I've packed the lovely things I bought in Paris.
ES: Este hombre quiere desordenar mis baúles con todas las bellezas que compré en París.
EN: And now all we have to do is spot a drunk... and not mess up.
ES: Y ahora lo que tenemos que hacer es pasar por borrachos... Y no metas la pata.
EN: Why drag in a dirty Sioux to mess up a good outfit?
ES: Un sucio sioux lo estropearía todo.
EN: Be careful! You'll mess up my hair.
ES: Cuidado, me vas a despeinar.
EN: Every morning those pigs mess up the whole car.
ES: Todos los días marranean todo el coche...
EN: Don't let her mess up your married life.
ES: No dejes que arruine tu vida de casada.
EN: All you've ever done for me is mess up my life.
ES: Lo único que has hecho por mí es arruinarme la vida.
EN: That would mess up the timetables.
ES: Eso sería un lío para los horarios.

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