If you had to boil it down, what is bowel perforation?

Hole in the Bowel: Bowel perforation is often a life-threatening emergency that usually requires emergency surgery to treat. Common causes include a perforated ulcer, diverticulitis, or intestinal cancer. The contents from the bowel is very toxic to the body, requiring emergent intervention. The surgical approach is dependent upon one's health, preoperatively evaluation, and preference of the surgeon.

Hole in gut: Boiled down, it is what it says- a hole in the bowel (usually large bowel/colon); can be small (pinpoint) or large; can be due to lots of causes, including infection, poor blood flow, diverticulitis, inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, and others.