muddle

English

Etymology

From Middle Dutch moddelen (“to make muddy”), from Middle Dutch modde, mod (“mud”) (Modern Dutch modder). Compare German Kuddelmuddel.

Pronunciation

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  Rhymes: -ʌdəl

Verb

muddle (third-person singular simple present muddles, present participle muddling, simple past and past participle muddled)

1. To mix together, to mix up; to confuse.

   Young children tend to muddle their words.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of F. W. Newman to this entry?)

2. To mash slightly for use in a cocktail.

   He muddled the mint sprigs in the bottom of the glass.

3. To dabble in mud.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Jonathan Swift to this entry?)

4. To make turbid or muddy.
   • L'Estrange

     He did ill to muddle the water.

5. To think and act in a confused, aimless way.
6. To cloud or stupefy; to render stupid with liquor; to intoxicate partially.
   • Bentley

     Their old master Epicurus seems to have had his brains so muddled and confounded with them, that he scarce ever kept in the right way.

   • Arbuthnot

     often drunk, always muddled

7. To waste or misuse, as one does who is stupid or intoxicated.
   • Hazlitt

     They muddle it [money] away without method or object, and without having anything to show for it.

Derived terms

Derived terms

• muddle along
• muddler (agent noun)
• muddlesome

• muddle through
• muddle up

Translations

mix together, to mix up; to confuse

• Dutch: verwarren (nl), door mekaar mengen
• Finnish: sotkea (fi), sekoittaa (fi)
• French: confondre (fr), mélanger (fr), embrouiller (fr), rendre confus
• Galician: atrapallar (gl)
• German: verwirren (de)
• Greek: συγχέω (el) (synchéo), θολώνω (el) (tholóno)
• Ido: konfuzeskar (io)

• Italian: pastrocchiare, pasticciare (it), ingarbugliare, imbrogliare (it), impasticciare, aggrovigliare (it), arruffare
• Occitan: mesclar (oc), borramesclar, enrambolhar
• Portuguese: baralhar (pt)
• Romanian: încurca (ro), încâlci (ro), a face confuz
• Russian: перепу́тать (ru) pf (perepútatʹ), спу́тать (ru) pf (spútatʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: cuir tro-chèile
• Spanish: mezclar (es), confundir (es), embrollar (es), zarabutear (es)

mash for a cocktail

• Galician: machucar

• Spanish: machacar (es)

Noun

muddle (plural muddles)

1. A mixture; a confusion; a garble.

   The muddle of nervous speech he uttered did not have much meaning.

Translations

A mixture; a confusion; a garble

• Dutch: wirwar (nl) m, warboel (nl) m
• Finnish: sotku (fi), sekasotku (fi)
• French: désordre (fr) m, confusion (fr) f, pagaille (fr) f
• German: Wirrwarr (de) m

• Italian: pasticcio (it) m, guazzabuglio (it) m, casino (it) m, pastrocchio (it) m, pateracchio (it) m, intruglio (it) m
• Occitan: borrolís, borrolh, borrolament, desòrdre, confusion, pastis
• Spanish: desorden (es) m
• Swedish: röra (sv), oreda (sv), virrvarr (sv)

Derived terms

• muddle-headed