Spanish word

chapuza

Pronunciation

IPA/tʃaˈpuθa/

Meaning

  • feminine nounbotched job

Example

Hiciste una chapuza en la reparación.

You did a botched job on the repair.

Illustration for chapuza (botched job)

More examples

No aceptes chapuzas por ese precio.

Don't accept botched jobs at that price.

Core concept

Sloppy, half-finished job.

Common phrases

  • hacer una chapuza

    do a botched job

  • dejar una chapuza

    leave a botched job

  • arreglar una chapuza

    fix a botched job

Similar words

chapucería: Work produced with careless shortcuts and low-quality finish.
apaño: Quick, makeshift solution intended to tide things over briefly.
parche: Small applied patch that plugs or covers a hole as a stopgap.
remiendo: Piece-by-piece mending that stitches or patches a tear or hole.

Definition in Spanish

Trabajo hecho de forma apresurada y descuidada que queda mal acabado o no funciona bien.

Word origin

It comes from the verb chapuzar, itself from chapuzón 'a dip' or 'plunge', the verb shifting to mean 'do something quickly or roughly' and then nominalizing as chapuza for a hurried, careless job.

Usage tips

  • Commonly used in the phrase hacer una chapuza to complain about a poor repair or task, and it is informal so softer expressions like no quedó bien fit formal contexts.

Other meanings

  • shoddy jobnoun
  • sloppy jobnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • chapucearbotchverb
  • chapuceríashoddy worknoun
  • chapuceroslapdashadjective

Word lists with this word