Mess up 这个片语也表示“犯错，把事情弄糟，搞得乱七八糟”，例如：
The young footballer messed up and dropped the ball. 年轻的球员慌慌张张把球掉了。
On rainy days the children really mess up the house. 下雨天孩子们把屋子里弄得乱七八糟的。
He had a way of messing up his own business. 他总能把自己的事情搞糟。
如果你不想用这些片语，光用mess 这个词也能表示“杂乱，搞糟”，比如：
Children left a mess in the yard. 孩子们把庭院搞得一团糟。
With divorce and bankruptcy proceedings pending, his personal life was in a mess.
离婚和破产的官司使得他的生活陷入一片混乱当中。