muddle

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmʌdəl/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• 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.
   • (Can we date this quote by L'Estrange and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     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.
   • (Can we date this quote by Bentley and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     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.

   • (Can we date this quote by Arbuthnot and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     often drunk, always muddled

7. To waste or misuse, as one does who is stupid or intoxicated.
   • (Can we date this quote by Hazlitt and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     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 (it)
• 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 (gl)

• 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.

2. (cooking and cocktails) A mixture of crushed ingredients, as prepared with a muddler.

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
• Russian: путаница (ru) f (putanica)
• Spanish: desorden (es) m
• Swedish: röra (sv), oreda (sv), virrvarr (sv)

Derived terms

• muddle-headed