muddle

English

Etymology

From Middle Dutch moddelen, root *modden, from Middle Dutch modde. In its original sense ("to wallow in mud"), mud +‎ -le. 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)
• German: verwirren (de)
• Russian: перепутать (ru) ‎(pereputatʹ), спутать (ru) ‎(sputatʹ)
• Greek: συγχέω (el) ‎(synchéo), θολώνω (el) ‎(tholóno)

• Ido: konfuzeskar (io)
• Italian: pastrocchiare, pasticciare, ingarbugliare, imbrogliare (it), impasticciare, aggrovigliare (it), arruffare
• Portuguese: baralhar (pt)
• Romanian: încurca (ro), încâlci (ro), a face confuz
• Scottish Gaelic: cuir tro-chèile

mash for a cocktail

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 m
• Finnish: sotku (fi), sekasotku
• German: Wirrwarr (de) m

• Italian: pasticcio (it) m, guazzabuglio (it) m, casino m, pastrocchio (it) m, pateracchio (it) m, intruglio (it) m
• Spanish: desorden (es) m
• Swedish: röra (sv), oreda (sv), virrvarr (sv)

Derived terms

• muddle-headed