| Library / English Dictionary |
HUGGER-MUGGER
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A state of confusion
Example:
he engaged in the hugger-mugger of international finance
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("hugger-mugger" is a kind of...):
confusion (disorder resulting from a failure to behave predictably)
Derivation:
hugger mugger (act stealthily or secretively)
hugger-mugger (in utter disorder)
II. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods
Example:
underground resistance
Synonyms:
clandestine; cloak-and-dagger; hole-and-corner; hugger-mugger; hush-hush; secret; surreptitious; undercover; underground
Classified under:
Similar:
covert (secret or hidden; not openly practiced or engaged in or shown or avowed)
Sense 2
Meaning:
In utter disorder
Example:
a disorderly pile of clothes
Synonyms:
disorderly; higgledy-piggledy; hugger-mugger; jumbled; topsy-turvy
Classified under:
Similar:
untidy (not neat and tidy)
Derivation:
hugger-mugger (a state of confusion)
III. (adverb)
Sense 1
Meaning:
In secrecy
Example:
they did it all hugger-mugger
Classified under:
