Failures & Struggle: English Vocabulary List

to mess up or lose a big opportunity, especially one involving money, success, or a relationship

"He fumbled the bag."

"By not accepting the job offer, he unfortunately managed to fumble the bag on a great career opportunity."

to encounter a problem, obstacle, or unexpected difficulty

"We hit a big snag."

"The construction team hit a snag when they discovered underground pipes that were not on the original plans."

a failure or problem attributed to someone's lack of ability rather than to outside circumstances

"The loss was a skill issue."

"Losing the match was a skill issue because the opponent simply outplayed him in every way."

used when someone makes a mistake or small blunder

"Oops! I made a little mistake."

"Oops! I made a little mistake, but I will fix it right now. Do not worry."

to cheat, betray, or unfairly ruin someone's chances or situation

"Do not screw over your loyal customers."

"I cannot believe he would screw over his own best friend for a little bit of money."

out of money or resources

"I am tapped out financially."

"After paying all his bills for the month he was completely tapped out and could not afford to go out to eat."

having little or no financial resources

"I am broke."

"After paying his rent and bills he was completely broke and he had to borrow money from his parents to buy groceries."

to reach the lowest possible point in a particular situation, often in terms of emotional or financial well-being

"He hit rock bottom last year."

"After losing his job and his home he hit rock bottom but then slowly started to rebuild his life."

to search through trash to find usable items or food

"They dumpster dive."

"In an effort to save money, some people will dumpster dive for discarded but still edible food."

to accept a loss, failure, or defeat in any situation

"I lost the game, so I will take the L."

"The chess player had to take the L after making a terrible mistake and losing the match."

to adapt to unexpected changes or setbacks and handle them calmly

"The plan changed, but we just rolled with it."

"The plan changed unexpectedly but we decided to just roll with it and adapt to the new situation."

a catastrophic societal collapse caused by a zombie outbreak

"The zombocalypse destroyed everything."

"In the movie, the zombocalypse spread across the entire continent within just a few terrifying weeks."

a situation, event, or endeavor that is a complete disaster or total failure

"The project was a complete dumpster fire."

"The project was a complete dumpster fire because nobody communicated and deadlines were missed constantly."

a state of poverty or financial struggle

"They are in scuffle."

"After losing his job, he found himself in a difficult scuffle to make ends meet."

a chaotic, confusing, or disastrous situation

"The event was a fustercluck."

"The event turned into a complete fustercluck when twice as many people showed up as expected."

something that is worthless, amounts to nothing, or has no value

"His effort was a big fat zero."

"He studied for weeks but scored a big fat zero on the exam because he misread the instructions."

to fail badly at something, such as a test, performance, or task

"The test will bomb."

"Despite studying diligently, he feared he might bomb the final exam due to its extreme difficulty."

to waste or use up money quickly or foolishly

"Do not blow it."

"He was warned not to blow all his inheritance on frivolous purchases and irresponsible spending."

having little available money or time, making it difficult to manage or spend freely

"We are very tight."

"With our tight budget, we have to be extremely careful about every expense."

having a limited amount of something, especially of money

"I am strapped for cash."

"I am strapped for cash this month because I had to pay for expensive car repairs unexpectedly."