Word of the Day: Hugger-mugger

Can you pronounce hugger-mugger?

Sunday, June 16, 2024

adjective 1. Confused; disorderly. 2. Secret; clandestine. noun 1. Confusion; muddle. 2. Secrecy. "The gallery wall featured paintings and other objects hung in a hugger-mugger fashion." "His motives were unclear, and his hugger-mugger requests made me suspicious." "The tourists were confused by the vast hugger-mugger of the city's subway system." Ads help keep Word Daily free. Uncertain, early 16th century The origins of this word are a bit hugger-mugger themselves. Some linguists believe it was likely cobbled together from the word "huddle" ("to crowd together") and the slang term "mucker" ("to hoard money, conceal"). Several terms, spanning from Late Middle English to the 16th century, share a similar construction and meaning: "hucker-mucker" and "hudder-mudder" both mean "secrecy, concealment." ... Continue Reading Do you remember these words? Thank you for supporting our advertisers.

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