mush

English

Etymology 1

Probably a variant of mash.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) enPR: mŭsh, IPA: /mʌʃ/, SAMPA: /mVS/
• (US) IPA: /mʊʃ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

  ,

  Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌʃ
• Rhymes: -ʊʃ

Noun

mush (plural mushes)

1. (uncountable) A mess, often of food; a soft or semisolid substance.

   Mom said to add the potatoes to the mush.

Verb

mush (third-person singular simple present mushes, present participle mushing, simple past and past participle mushed)

1. To squish so as to break into smaller pieces or to combine with something else.

   He mushed the ingredients together.

Derived terms

• mushy

See also

• mash
• moosh

Etymology 2

Simple contraction of mushroom.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) enPR: mŭsh, IPA: /mʌʃ/, SAMPA: /mVS/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

  ,

  Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌʃ

Noun

mush (plural mushes)

1. (Quebecois English, slang) magic mushrooms

Synonyms

• shroom (slang)

Translations

slang: magic mushrooms

Spanish: champi (es) (slang)

Etymology 3

From Old High German muos and Gaelic mus (“a pap”) or muss (“a porridge”), or any thick preparation of fruit.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) enPR: mŭsh, IPA: /mʌʃ/, SAMPA: /mVS/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

  ,

  Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌʃ

Noun

mush (uncountable)

1. A food comprising cracked or rolled grains cooked in water or milk; porridge.
2. (rural USA) cornmeal cooked in water and served as a porridge or as a thick sidedish like grits or mashed potatoes.

Translations

A food comprising cracked or rolled grains cooked in water or milk, porridge

Dutch: pap (nl) f.

Spanish: gachas (es) de harina de maíz

Etymology 4

Believed to be a contraction of mush on, in turn a corruption of French marchons!, the cry of the voyageurs and coureurs de bois to their dogs.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) enPR: mŭsh, IPA: /mʌʃ/, SAMPA: /mVS/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

  ,

  Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌʃ

Interjection

mush

1. A directive given (usually to dogs or a horse) to start moving, or to move faster.

   When the lone cowboy saw the Indians, he yelled mush, cha, giddyup!

Translations

directive to start moving

Spanish: andando (es), vamos (es)

Noun

mush (plural mushes)

1. A walk, especially across the snow with dogs.

Verb

mush (third-person singular simple present mushes, present participle mushing, simple past and past participle mushed)

1. (intransitive) To walk, especially across the snow with dogs.

Etymology 5

From Angloromani mush (“man”), from Romanian murš, from Sanskrit  (manuSya, “human being, man”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) enPR: mo͝osh, IPA: /mʊʃ/, SAMPA: /mUS/
• Rhymes: -ʊʃ

Noun

mush (plural mushes)

1. (UK, primarily Southern England, slang) A form of address to a man.

   • "'Oy, mush! Get out of it!'
     That's what we'd say
     Barging the locals
     Out of the way"
     — MAUREEN AND DOREEN AND NOREEN AND ME, Peculiar Poems, [1]
   • "When I'm around it's not uncommon for someone to call me and say :'Oy mush, get your bum over here and give us a hand.'" — THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING: In Which King Arthur Uther Pendragon Grants An Interview [2]

2. (UK, primarily Northern England, slang) The face

   • "My ugly mush finally found its way onto the www, but not in the manner to which I deserved." — [3]
   • 2002:"I grew my face fungus to cover up an ugly mush." — [4]
   • "and your bird has an ugly mush" — [5]

Synonyms

• (form of address to a man): mate (UK), pal (especially US)
• (the face): mug

Translations

slang: form of address to a man

Spanish: che (es) (River Plate), güey (es) (Mexico), tío (es) (Spain), tronco (es) (Spain)

slang: the face

Dutch: tronie (nl) f.

Spanish: jeta (es) f., cardo (es) m.

References

• Take Our Word for It Issue 101, accessed on 2005-05-09

Anagrams

• hums

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Angloromani

Noun

mush

1. man