botch

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /bɒt͡ʃ/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /bɑt͡ʃ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɒtʃ

Etymology 1

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

Verb

botch (third-person singular simple present botches, present participle botching, simple past and past participle botched)

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

   Synonyms: ruin, bungle; see also Thesaurus:spoil

   A botched haircut seems to take forever to grow out.

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; see also Thesaurus:kludge

Derived terms

• blotch
• botcher
• botchery
• botch up
• botchwork
• botchy

 

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 (fi)
• French: saccager (fr), rater (fr), bâcler (fr)
• German: verderben (de), verpfuschen (de) (coll.), vermasseln (de) (slang), vermurksen (de) (coll.), vergeigen (de) (coll.), verbocken (de) (coll.), verpatzen (de) (on stage)
• Hungarian: elfuserál (hu), elront (hu), elszúr (hu), elgányol
• Irish: praiseach a dhéanamh de
• Italian: malfare, raffazzonare (it), pasticciare (it), rovinare (it), abborracciare (it)
• Norman: bôtchi
• Polish: partaczyć (pl) impf, spartaczyć (pl) pf, partolić impf, spartolić pf, fuszerować impf, sfuszerować pf, knocić impf, sknocić (pl) pf
• Portuguese: arruinar (pt)
• Romanian: fușeri (ro)
• Russian: запороть (ru) (zaporotʹ), испортить (ru) (isportitʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: упропа́стити

  Roman: upropástiti (sh)

• Slovak: zbabrať
• Spanish: desbarrar (es), chapucear (es), chambonear (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 (fi)
• French: bâcler (fr), rater (fr)
• German: pfuschen (de), stümpern (de), schlampen (de), schludern (de), murksen (de)
• Hungarian: kontárkodik (hu), fuserál (hu), gányol (hu)
• Italian: raffazzonare (it), rabberciare (it)
• Norman: bôtchi
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: slurve

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

  Cyrillic: сфушерити

  Roman: sfušeriti

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

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Irish: ^{(please verify)} abach a dhéanamh ar

Noun

botch (plural botches)

1. An action, job, or task that has been performed very badly; a ruined, defective, or clumsy piece of work.
   • c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i], page 140, column 2:

     That I require a cleareneſſe; and with him; / To leaue no Rubs nor Botches in the Worke:

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.

   Synonym: bungler

   • 1863, J[oseph] Sheridan Le Fanu, “Æsculapius to the Rescue”, in The House by the Church-yard. […], volume I, London: Tinsley, Brothers, […], →OCLC, page 149:

     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-by.

Derived terms

• botch job
• botch-up

 

Translations

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

• Bulgarian: нескопосана работа (neskoposana rabota)
• Catalan: bunyol (ca) m
• Esperanto: fuŝaĵo
• French: bidouillage (fr) m
• Galician: chafallada (gl) f
• German: Pfusch (de) m, (colloquial) Murks (de) m
• Hungarian: kontármunka (hu), fusermunka
• Irish: praiseach f, prácás m
• Italian: pasticcio (it), pastrocchio (it) m, guazzabuglio (it) m
• Polish: partanina f, chałtura (pl) f, fuszerka (pl) f, amatorszczyzna f
• Portuguese: gambiarra (pt) f
• Russian: халту́ра (ru) f (xaltúra)
• Spanish: chapucería f, pifia (es), churro (es) m (colloquial)
• Welsh: traed moch m

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

• Esperanto: fuŝaĵo
• German: Pfusch (de) m
• Hungarian: kontármunka (hu), fusermunka
• 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
• Spanish: pifia (es)

Related terms

• bodge

See also

• foul up
• mess up
• screw up

Etymology 2

From Middle English botche, from Anglo-Norman boche, from Late Latin bocia (“boss”).

Noun

botch (plural botches)

1. (obsolete) A tumour or other malignant swelling.
   • 1667, John Milton, “Book X”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC, line 1071:

     Botches and blaines muſt all his fleſh imboſs,

2. A case or outbreak of boils or sores.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Deuteronomy 28:27:

     The Lord wil smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scabbe, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not bee healed.