To do a job badly or carelessly; to ruin or spoil something through poor workmanship.
Origin unclear, possibly from Old Norse or related to 'batch.' The word appeared in English by the 16th century meaning to mend badly, and expanded to mean any poor-quality work.
A 'botch' is specifically the failure mode when someone is *trying* to do good work but messes up—it's not the same as intentional sabotage, which is why it feels different emotionally (more sympathetic) than words like 'ruin.'
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