mud

be as clear as mud (humorous)

to be impossible to understand. 'Does that make sense?' 'Yes, it's as clear as mud.'

See also: clear

drag someone's name through the mire/mud

to tell people about something bad that someone has done so that people will have a bad opinion of them. Her name was dragged through the mud after she admitted offering money in return for votes.

See also: drag, name, through

Here's mud in your eye! (old-fashioned)

something that you say in order to wish success or happiness to someone who is drinking with you. Well, here's mud in your eye! I hope you'll both be very happy together.

See also: eye

Mud sticks. (British & Australian)

something that you say which means it is difficult to make people change their bad opinion of someone. The court cleared him of fraud, but mud sticks.

See also: stick

mud-slinging

sling/throw mud at someone - if someone slings mud at another person, they try to make other people have a low opinion of them by saying unpleasant things about them. I left Hollywood because I was fed up with all the mud-slinging that goes on there.

someone's name is mud (informal)

if someone's name is mud, other people are angry with that person because of something they have done or said. Well he'd better turn up tonight or his name will be mud.

See also: name

sling/throw mud at someone

if someone slings mud at another person, they try to make other people have a low opinion of them by saying unpleasant things about them. Companies should think carefully before slinging mud at someone who may respond with a libel action costing millions of dollars.

See also: sling, throw

a stick-in-the-mud

someone who has old-fashioned ideas and does not want to try new activities. 'Anyway, I'm not interested in married men.' 'Oh, don't be such a stick-in-the-mud.'

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(as) clear as mud

very difficult to understand. His traffic directions were as clear as mud.

Usage notes: used to humorously explain that there was a problem

(as) plain as day

See also: clear