Bungle Definition
bŭnggəl
bungled, bungles, bungling
verb
bungled, bungles, bungling
To spoil by clumsy work or action; botch.
Webster's New World
To do or make things badly or clumsily.
Webster's New World
To work or act ineptly or inefficiently.
American Heritage
1853 His hand shakes, he is nervous, and it falls off. “Would any one believe this?” says he, catching it as it drops and looking round. “I am so out of sorts that I bungle at an easy job like this!” — Charles Dickens, Bleak House, Chapter 49.
Wiktionary
Synonyms:
noun
bungles
A bungling, or clumsy, act.
Webster's New World
A bungled piece of work.
Webster's New World
A botched or incompetently handled situation.
1888 The Soudan bungle was born partly of sentimental loyalty and partly of the aforementioned jealousy existing between the colonies, and now at a time when the colonies should club closer together our Government is doing all they can to widen the breach by trying to pass a bill enabling New South Wales to monopolise the name “Australia”. — Henry Lawson, "United Division".
Wiktionary
Origin of Bungle
From Old Norse, akin to Swedish dialect bangla 'to work ineffectually', from Old Swedish bunga 'to strike'. Compare German Bengel 'cudgel; rude fellow', Middle High German bungen 'to hammer'.
From Wiktionary
Perhaps of Scandinavian origin
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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