The term 'make a mess of' is an idiom that means to do something badly or in a clumsy way. The crossword solutions for this term include BOTCH (5 letters), SCREWUP (7 letters), BUMBLE (6 letters), MANGLE (6 letters), BUNGLE (6 letters), RUIN (4 letters), BLOW (4 letters), FLUB (4 letters), HASH (4 letters), mgle (4 letters), misdo (5 letters), SPOIL (5 letters), BEDAUB (6 letters), foulup (6 letters), frigup (6 letters), MUDDLE (6 letters), botchup (7 letters), and louseup (7 letters). All of these words are synonyms for making a mess of something, and they all imply that the task was done poorly or clumsily.