hugger-mugger
hugger-mugger · more hugger-mugger · most hugger-mugger
Secret, clandestine, slySecret, clandestine, sly.
UK/ˈhʌɡ.əˌmʌɡ.ə/US/ˈhʌɡ.ɚˌmʌɡ.ɚ/
Meaning
2 sensesSecret, clandestine, sly.
Disorderly, chaotic, confused.
hugger-mugger doings
More definitions
- in utter disorder
- conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods
Origin
Unknown; perhaps from Anglo-Irish cuggermugger (“a whispering, a low-voiced gossiping”), fUnknown; perhaps from Anglo-Irish cuggermugger (“a whispering, a low-voiced gossiping”), from Irish cogar (“whisper”). Compare also Scots hudge-mudge, hody-moke, Swedish mjugg (“stealth, secrecy”).
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Forms
more hugger-mugger, most hugger-mugger| Comparative | more hugger-mugger Lesson |
|---|---|
| Superlative | most hugger-mugger Lesson |
regular
Synonyms
46 synonymssecretB1surreptitiousC2undergroundB2abstrusebehind the scenescatlikebackroombackstairsstealthclandestinecloak-and-daggerconcealedconfidentialcovert
Close in meaning
- in utter disorder:disorderlyhiggledy-piggledyjumbledtopsy-turvy
- conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods:clandestinecloak-and-daggerhole-and-cornerhush-hushsecretsurreptitiousundercoverunderground
Word family
1 related wordsDerivedhugger-muggery
Lessons for this word
2 lessons- A2Comparatives — Because it has a comparative form
- A2Superlatives — Because it has a superlative form