'Blow it'

[Hathami]

Hi!
In Saudi there is a famous idiom means: When you mess something up.
What is the best equivalent for this idiom?
is it the English idiom: 'Blow it'?
For example,
"I had an exam yesterday but I blew it."
"It is an important meeting. Please don't blow it!"
Can I use it in these two sentences?


Thank you,

 

[emsr2d2]

Welcome to the forum.

Both of your example sentences are correct.

 

[Raymott]

"Stuff up" is also very common. It's probably not as polite as 'mess up, muck up', but certainly preferred to various other constructions ending with 'up' meaning the same thing.

 

[tzfujimino]

"Stuff up" is also very common. It's probably not as polite as 'mess up, muck up', but certainly preferred to various other constructions ending with 'up' meaning the same thing.

I've read/heard that expression used in the passive:

My nose is stuffed up.

('stuffed up' is classified as an adjective, but 'stuffed' here is originally the past participle of the verb 'stuff', I believe.)

 

[Raymott]

I've read/heard that expression used in the passive:

My nose is stuffed up.

('stuffed up' is classified as an adjective, but 'stuffed' here is originally the past participle of the verb 'stuff', I believe.)

That's a different thing. It's just a coincidence that they share the same words.
But if someone broke your nose, that could stuff up your chances of a TV presenter's job (unless it's as a sports commentator).

 

[Tdol]

"Stuff up" is also very common. It's probably not as polite as 'mess up, muck up', but certainly preferred to various other constructions ending with 'up' meaning the same thing.

Screw up is slangy, but not rude too.

 

[probus]

I must say that "stuff up" 'mess up" and "muck up' are all BrE, and "stuff up" is purely antipodean as far as I know. In AmE "blow it" is more common than all those by a mile.

 

[Raymott]

... and "stuff up" is purely antipodean as far as I know.

Well, I promise I'm not making this stuff up.

 

[emsr2d2]

We use "to stuff up" in BrE too.