bungle
verb

- to do something wrong, in a careless or stupid way
- to act or work clumsily and awkwardly

Cambridge Dictionary / Merriam-Webster

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ORIGIN

Bungle “to work or act clumsily” is referenced from the 1520s. The origin is obscure, perhaps a mix of boggle and bumble, from a Scandinavian word related to Swedish bangla “to work ineffectually”.

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BUNGLER IS BUSTED IN BRISBANE

In Brisbane, Australia, a would-be car thief was busted attempting to steal an in-car GPS system which was equipped with an internal camera. If that fact alone had not been enough, it turns out that the man had his name and date of birth tattooed on his neck, which was clearly visible to the cameras in the car.

The man was arrested and jailed for seven months, longer than usual for this type of offense, because there were ten others he confessed to.

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SYNONYMS

blow it, bodge, botch, bring a note of sadness to, bumble, cast gloom over, drop the ball, drop a brick, goof up, make a boo-boo, make a dog’s dinner of, make a hash of, make a howler, make a pig’s ear of, muck up, put a spanner in the works, put one’s foot in it

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SMUGGLE OWAD into a conversation today, say something like:

“Central reservations have BUNGLED my booking and confirmed the wrong hotel!”

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THANKS to Dirk for suggesting today’s OWAD.

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HERZLICHEN DANK to all readers helping me keep OWAD alive with single or monthly donations at:

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Paul Smith