botch
BOCH
/bɒtʃ/
To carry out a task badly or carelessly; a clumsy or poorly done piece of work.
Botch implies that a task was attempted but ruined due to carelessness, poor skill, or rushing. It is highly active—you must actively do something to botch it.
The story behind the word. In Middle English, 'bocchen' meant 'to patch, mend, or repair.' Over time, the meaning shifted from simply patching something up to doing a clumsy, poor job of repairing it, eventually leading to our modern definition of ruining a task entirely.
Word relationships
- bungle: Bungle is slightly more formal than botch, though both describe ruining a task through clumsiness.
- mishandle: Mishandle is a more formal, professional term that implies poor management rather than physical clumsiness.
- execute: Execute means to carry out a task with precision and skill.
- perfect: Perfect as a verb means to make something completely free of flaws.
Commonly confused with
- batch: A batch is a quantity of goods produced at one time, while a botch is a ruined piece of work.
Word family
- botched (adjective): Ruined through carelessness or clumsiness.
- botcher (noun): A person who botches tasks.
Collocations
- botch a job
- botch an attempt
- completely botched
Example sentences
- "The contractors managed to botch the kitchen renovation so badly that the pipes began leaking the next day." A homeowner describing a bad renovation.
Memory hook
'Botch' sounds like 'Watch'. You have to watch someone closely so they don't botch the job. Botch = Clumsy patch job.
When not to use
Do not use botch in highly formal academic writing; use 'bungle' or 'mishandle' instead.
Fun facts
- The phrase 'botch job' is commonly used in both British and American English to describe a temporary, poorly made repair.
Explore more words
blow it, negligent, inattention, haphazard, gauche, malfunction
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