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To make something worse

worsen

verb

to become worse, or to make something worse

compound

verb

to make a problem or difficult situation worse

escalate

verb

to become much worse or more serious, or to make something do this

aggravate

verb

to make something bad become worse, especially a situation or a medical condition

inflame

verb

to make a situation worse by making people more angry or excited

exacerbate

verb

to make a problem become worse

do more harm than good

to make a situation worse instead of better

make matters/things worse

used for talking about something that makes a bad situation worse

add fuel to the fire/flames

to make a bad situation even worse by saying or doing something that makes someone angry

come/bring something to a head

if a situation comes to a head, or if you bring it to a head, it suddenly becomes worse

cyberloafing

using the Internet where you work, during working hours, for activities which are not work-related

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show a bit of ankle

… to reveal a small part of your intentions in order to attract support, without actually committing yourself to doing anything

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