Meaning

noun an embarrassing mistake

verb make a mess of, destroy or ruin

verb spoil by behaving clumsily or foolishly

originThe origin of the verb is uncertain; it is either: * onomatopoeic in origin (compare bumble (“to act in an inept, clumsy or inexpert manner; to make mistakes”), fumble (“to grope awkwardly in trying to find something; to blunder uncertainly”)); or * from Old Norse; compare Old Swedish bunga (“to strike”), and dialectal Swedish bangla (“to work ineffectually”). The noun is derived from the verb.…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0