Note: ‘Mess’ is more commonly used to refer to a dirty place or thing or a bad and complicated situation or condition, e.g. “His room was a mess; you can’t sit a minute in it.”, “After his business failed and his wife left him, his life became a mess.”, for an article about a financial mess, please click here, and to refer to a place where food is eaten, usually by the servicemen, e.g. “The cadets are having their lunch in the mess/mess hall.”, for an informative article that explains why military dining halls are called ‘messes’, please click here, and as a verb, it means ‘to make a place, thing, person or a situation dirty, bad and more complicated by doing things the wrong way, e.g. “She messed up my place throwing all her things over the furniture and floor.”, and “Don’t mess with that dog, young man; it’s very dangerous dog”. (i.e. don’t try to tease or play with that dog because it’s dangerous and may attack if annoyed)