📖 M — The English dictionary · page 49

muchness — Everyday, meaning 1: (old, rare) Greatness in amount or size.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (phrase, UK) «Much of a muchness» means nearly the same, with little difference: «The two shops are much of a muchness.».↗ Example: The two films were much of a muchness.↗ · «Did you ever see such a thing as a drawing of a muchness?» asked the Dormouse.↗ · Both pizzas are much of a muchness, so pick either.↗ · These tents are much of a muchness — buy the cheaper one.↗ · The Dormouse listed things beginning with M, like muchness.↗ · The teams were much of a muchness, so the match was close.↗

muck — Everyday, meaning 1: Muck is dirt, mud or something wet and dirty.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Muck is animal dung (poo), often spread on fields as manure.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (UK, informal) Muck about/around means to behave in a silly way and waste time.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (UK, informal) Muck up means to spoil or do something badly; muck in means to help with the work; muck out means to clean an animal's stable.↗ Example: Your trainers are covered in muck!↗ · The farmer spread muck on the field.↗ · We took turns to muck out the stables.↗ · Stop mucking about and finish your work.↗ · I mucked up my spelling test.↗ · Everyone mucked in to tidy the hall after the party.↗ · Wipe the muck off the window.↗ · There you will find a sorry colt rolling in the muck.↗

muckle — Everyday, meaning 1: (old use, Scots) Muckle means much or great in amount or size.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (old use) Muckle as an adverb means very or greatly.↗ Example: With muckle doubt and pain, they waited.↗ · There was muckle joy in the village that day.↗ · He had muckle wealth.↗

mucky — Everyday, meaning 1: (informal, UK, Ireland, Australia) Dirty, muddy or messy: mucky hands.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (informal) Rude in a slightly naughty way: a mucky joke.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (informal) About weather: wet, grey and unpleasant.↗ Example: Take off your mucky boots before you come in!↗ · Your face is all mucky from the chocolate.↗ · You mucky pup, look at your clothes!↗ · It's a mucky old day; let's stay inside.↗ · The dog came back from the field really mucky.↗ · He told a mucky joke and Mum frowned.↗ · My hands are muckier than yours.↗

mucus — Everyday, meaning 1: Mucus is the thick, slimy liquid made inside the nose, throat and other parts of the body to protect them and trap dirt and germs.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Mucus is the slime made by animals such as slugs and snails.↗ Example: Mucus in your nose traps dust and germs.↗ · When you have a cold, your body makes more mucus.↗ · The snail left a shiny trail of mucus.↗ · Blow your nose into a tissue and wash your hands.↗ · Coughing helps clear mucus from your lungs.↗ · Frogs' skin is covered in mucus to keep it moist.↗

mud — Everyday, meaning 1: Mud is wet, soft, sticky earth.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Mud can mean things said to make someone look bad, as in "throw mud" (informal).↗ Example: The football pitch was full of mud.↗ · The car got stuck in the mud.↗ · Pigs roll in mud to cool down.↗ · Take off your muddy boots!↗ · We made mud pies in the garden.↗ · Your explanation is as clear as mud.↗ · Why, there is mud all over his face and paws!’↗ · And Wind is the first of them.↗ [1:11] Three—He carved Water from Wind and with them He hewed tohu and bohu, [note 21: [Genesis 1:2]] mud and clay.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation)↗ · „Witli 'three' God graved and hewed out mud and clay.↗ (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914))↗ · § 20 Three — He graved and hewed out of them mud and chiy.↗ (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914))↗

muddied — Everyday, meaning 1: Made dirty or covered with mud.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (figurative) Made something less clear or more confusing, as in "muddied the waters".↗ Example: The players came off the pitch with muddied knees.↗ · My new trainers got muddied on the walk.↗ · The stream was muddied after the heavy rain.↗ · Leave your muddied wellies by the back door.↗ · His long explanation only muddied the waters.↗ · The cows had muddied the gate with their hooves.↗ · The extra rules muddied things instead of making them clear.↗

muddle — Everyday, meaning 1: A muddle is an untidy mess, or a state of confusion: «My drawer is in a muddle».↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To muddle things means to mix them up or put them in the wrong order.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To be muddled or get in a muddle means to feel confused or make mistakes because you cannot think clearly.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (UK) To muddle through means to manage somehow, without a good plan.↗ Example: My socks are in a muddle.↗ · I always muddle up «their» and «there».↗ · Grandpa gets muddled when he's tired.↗ · Don't muddle the numbers in your answer.↗ · We had no map but muddled through.↗ · The twins are easy to muddle.↗ · The instructions were a total muddle.↗ · Slow down so you don't get in a muddle with the sums.↗

muddled — Everyday, meaning 1: Muddled means confused and not thinking clearly.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Muddled means mixed up and untidy, in the wrong order.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: It is the past form of the verb «muddle»: to mix things up or confuse them.↗ Example: I got muddled and added instead of taking away.↗ · The papers were all muddled up on the floor.↗ · Grandpa gets a bit muddled about names.↗ · Her story was muddled and hard to follow.↗ · He muddled the twins up again.↗ · After the long trip I felt tired and muddled.↗ · We muddled through the quiz without our best player.↗ · And the Cat sat down to the loom, and worked away; muddled everything about, if it didn't do much weaving.↗

muddy — Everyday, meaning 1: Covered in mud, or full of mud.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (of water or colours) Not clear; cloudy or dull, as if mixed with mud.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (verb) To make something muddy or unclear.↗ Example: Take off your muddy boots at the door!↗ · The dog jumped in a muddy puddle.↗ · After the rain, the football pitch was muddy.↗ · We filtered the muddy water through sand and paper.↗ · The muddy path was slippery, so we walked slowly.↗ · Mixing all the paints made a muddy colour.↗ · My jeans are muddy from the knees down.↗ · The river was muddy after the storm.↗ · The roads are so muddy, after the winter’s rains.↗

mudskipper — Everyday, meaning 1: A small fish that lives on muddy shores and in mangrove swamps and can come out of the water, skipping and crawling on the mud with its strong front fins.↗ Example: The mudskipper hopped across the mud at low tide.↗ · A mudskipper can stay out of water for a long time.↗ · Mudskippers have eyes on top of their heads, like little periscopes.↗ · We watched a nature show about mudskippers in the mangroves.↗ · The male mudskipper jumps high to impress a female.↗ · Is a mudskipper a fish or a frog?↗ It is a fish!↗

mudslide — Everyday, meaning 1: A large amount of wet mud sliding quickly down a hill or mountain, often after heavy rain.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (informal) A mudslide is also the name of a fun slippery slide in mud.↗ Example: After days of heavy rain, a mudslide blocked the mountain road.↗ · Mudslides are more likely where trees have been cut down.↗ · The village was evacuated because of the danger of mudslides.↗ · In geography we learned how a mudslide happens.↗ · A small mudslide covered the footpath in brown sludge.↗ · Rescue teams searched for people after the mudslide.↗ · Tree roots help hold the soil and prevent mudslides.↗

muff — Everyday, meaning 1: A muff is a soft tube of fur or warm cloth that you put both hands into from each end to keep them warm, worn in old times.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Ear muffs are two soft pads joined by a band that keep your ears warm or block out loud noise.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (verb, informal) To muff something means to do it badly or miss it, especially to drop a catch or spoil a chance.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (rude, adult slang) a rude word grown-ups use; not for school.↗ Example: In the old painting, the lady carries a fur muff.↗ · Wear ear muffs when you use the loud drill.↗ · Grandma's muff kept her hands warm on the sleigh ride.↗ · The fielder muffed an easy catch.↗ · I muffed my lines in the school play.↗ · Don't muff your chance to score!↗ · And she dried Gerda’s eyes, and stuck both her hands in the beautiful warm muff.↗

muffin — Everyday, meaning 1: (USA, Canada, Australia and now everywhere) A small sweet cake baked in a cup-shaped tin, often with fruit or chocolate chips.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (UK) English muffin: a flat, round bread roll eaten toasted with butter.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (informal) A friendly or teasing name for someone.↗ Example: We baked 12 blueberry muffins for the fair.↗ · Each muffin costs 2 dollars.↗ · Share 24 muffins equally among 6 children: each gets 4.↗ · Grandma toasted an English muffin for breakfast.↗ · The muffin tin has 12 holes.↗ · I had a chocolate muffin with my milk.↗ · And by the time the nation had gotten dry again it was interested in the new invention for toasting muffins by electricity, and all the dragons were almost forgotten.↗

muffle — Everyday, meaning 1: To muffle a sound is to make it quieter and less clear, for example by covering it.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To muffle someone or something up is to wrap them in warm clothes or cloth.↗ Example: The thick snow muffled our footsteps.↗ · We heard muffled voices through the wall.↗ · She muffled her giggles with a pillow.↗ · We tested which material muffles sound best.↗ · The children were muffled up in scarves and hats.↗ · Car mufflers (US) make engines quieter.↗

muffled — Everyday, meaning 1: (adjective) Quiet and unclear because something is in the way, as in "a muffled voice".↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Made a sound quieter by covering it.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Wrapped up warmly, as in "muffled up in scarves".↗ Example: I heard muffled voices from the next room.↗ · Her answer was muffled because her face was in the pillow.↗ · The snow muffled the sound of our footsteps.↗ · There was a muffled thump in the attic.↗ · We wrapped the alarm clock in a towel and its ring was muffled.↗ · The children were muffled up in coats and scarves.↗ · In science we tested which materials muffled sound best.↗ · A queer sound could be heard, soft as a little bell, and faint and muffled like the buzz of a far-away mosquito.↗

mug — Everyday, meaning 1: A big cup with straight sides and a handle, for hot drinks.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: The drink in it: «a mug of cocoa».↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (verb) To attack and rob someone in the street.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (informal) A face; or (British) a silly person who is easily tricked.↗ Example: I had a mug of hot chocolate before bed.↗ · Be careful — that mug is hot.↗ · The mug holds about 300 millilitres.↗ · Grandpa's mug says «World's Best Grandad».↗ · A man was mugged on the way home and lost his wallet.↗ · If someone tries to steal your bag, let it go and get to safety.↗ · Don't be a mug — that's a trick!↗ · We painted our own mugs in art.↗ · She soon understood, however, that he did not find himself quite well, and therefore brought him a mug of water.↗

mugging — Everyday, meaning 1: A mugging is an attack in a public place where someone is robbed, often with threats or violence.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Mugging is the -ing form of «mug» (to rob).↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (informal) Mugging (for the camera) means pulling silly faces.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (informal, UK) Mugging up means studying hard quickly, cramming.↗ Example: There was a mugging near the station last night.↗ · The police are looking for the people behind the mugging.↗ · If someone tries mugging you, let them take your things and get away safely.↗ · He was mugging for the camera.↗ · I'm mugging up on my spellings.↗ · Muggings are less common in busy, well-lit streets.↗