(as) clear as mud

(as) clear as mud

Difficult to see or understand; not clear at all. I guess I need to call a lawyer because these legal contracts are as clear as mud. Hey, are we supposed to go in or wait outside? The sign on the door is clear as mud. These directions are about as clear as mud, so I have a bunch of questions for you.

See also: clear, mud

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

*clear as mud

 

1. Cliché not clear at all. (*Also: as ~.) Your swimming pool needs cleaning; the water is clear as mud.

2. Cliché not easy to understand. (*Also: as ~.) This physics chapter is clear as mud to me. I did all the reading, but it's still as clear as mud.

See also: clear, mud

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

clear as mud

Murky, obscure, totally unclear, as in The translation of these directions is clear as mud. This ironic phrase always indicates that something is far from clear. [Early 1800s]

See also: clear, mud

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

clear as mud

If something is as clear as mud, it is confusing and difficult to understand. The instructions are about as clear as mud! Note: You usually use this expression in a humorous way.

See also: clear, mud

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

clear as mud

not at all easy to understand. informal

See also: clear, mud

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

(as) clear as ˈmud

(spoken) not clear at all; very difficult to understand: The instructions in the manual are as clear as mud. OPPOSITE: crystal clear

See also: clear, mud

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

(as) clear as mud

mod. not understandable at all. All of this is clear as mud to me.

See also: clear, mud

clear as mud

verb

See as clear as mud

See also: clear, mud

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

clear as mud

Murky, obscure, anything but clear. This jocular cliché, spoken ironically to indicate that something is unclear, dates from the early nineteenth century. It appears in R. H. Barham’s Ingoldsby Legends (1842) and is still frequently heard.

See also: clear, mud

The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer