mud (redirected from mudding)

*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

Bottoms up! and Here's looking at you.; Here's mud in your eye.; Here's to you.

Inf. an expression said as a toast when people are drinking together. (Alludes to the bottoms of the drinking glasses.) Bill: Bottoms up. Tom: Here's mud in your eye. Bill: Ah, that one was good. Care for another?

See also: Bottom

one's name is mud

Fig. one is in trouble or humiliated. If I can't get this contract signed, my name will be mud. His name is mud ever since he broke the crystal vase.

See also: name

stick-in-the-mud

Fig. a dull and old-fashioned person. Don't be such an old stick-in-the-mud. some stick-in-the-mud objected to the kind of music we wanted to play in church.

---

somebody'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

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.'

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 somebody'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.

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

sling/throw mud at somebody

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

---

(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

Opposite of: (as) plain as day

See also: clear