I love the expression "making a hames of something". I find myself using it quite regularly.
It means to try to do something but to make a mess of it.
Maybe I like it because I know it's a very Irish expression
An example of usage would be: "I was trying to assemble it but I think I've made a complete hames of it".
Here's an excellent article which explains the expression and also explains what "hames" are.