Meaning & use
blow a job
Last updated
Meaning
phraseidiominformal
To fail at a task or lose an opportunity because of a mistake or poor performance.
Grammar: Used as a verb phrase; the object 'a job' is fixed and cannot be changed to 'the job' in this idiom.
Patterns
- blow a job
- blow a job on something
- blow a job by doing something
He blew a job at the interview by arriving late.
She had a chance to lead the project but blew a job by missing the deadline.
Don't blow a job on something you can easily fix.
Common combinations
- blow a job interview
- He blew a job interview by not preparing.
- blow a job opportunity
- She blew a job opportunity when she forgot to send her resume.
- blow a job on
- He blew a job on a simple math error.
Synonyms and how they differ
- mess up
- More general and slightly less informal; can be used for any mistake, not just jobs or opportunities.
- botch
- Stronger and often used for tasks done badly, but not usually for losing an opportunity.
Opposites
Commonly confused: blow a job or blow a job?
blow a job vs blow a job
Not to be confused with 'blow job', which is a vulgar term for oral sex. The phrase 'blow a job' always includes the article 'a' and refers to failing at a task.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'blow a job' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option 0 correctly uses 'blow a job' to mean failing at a task (forgetting lines). Option 1 uses 'blew' literally with an instrument, option 2 uses 'job of work' unnaturally, and option 3 uses 'blew' to mean went quickly, not the idiom.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “blow a job”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.