Idiom
make a pig's ear of
Meanings
To do a task or handle a situation very badly; to mess it up.
Definition
To do something very badly and create a mess or failure.
If you make a pig's ear of something, you do it clumsily or incompetently so the result is poor. It often suggests you had a chance to do it properly but you ruined it. This idiom is especially common in British English and is used in informal speech.
Examples
- I made a pig's ear of the presentation and forgot the main points.
- He made a pig's ear of assembling the furniture, and the shelves are crooked.
- They made a pig's ear of the booking and turned up on the wrong day.
- Don’t let me do the wiring—I’ll make a pig's ear of it.
- The new system was meant to help, but the rollout made a pig's ear of things.
Common mistake
Learners sometimes say "do a pig's ear" instead of the correct pattern "make a pig's ear of" plus an object.
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