bollix
pronunciation
How to pronounce bollix in British English: UK ['bɒlɪks]
How to pronounce bollix in American English: US ['bɒlɪks]
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- Verb:
- make a mess of, destroy or ruin
Word Origin
- bollix (v.)
- "bungle," respelling (perhaps euphemistic) of bollocks, plural of bollock "testicle," from Old English beallucas "testicles," from Proto-Germanic *ball-, from PIE *bhel- (2) "to inflate, swell" (see bole). Related: Bollixed; bollixing.
Example
- 1. His inference bollix d up the whole deal .
- 2. As my colleague , the indefatigably indefatigable walter pincus , has pointed out , bush manages to bollix up both the chronology and the importance of the various inspections of iraq 's weapons systems so as to suggest that any other president given the same set of facts would have gone to war .