mudmud /mʌd/ ●●○ S3 noun [uncountable] 
By the end of the game, all the kids were covered in mud. The path beside the river was slippery with mud. Many villages in Mali consist of mud huts. boots caked with mud (=covered in mud) It was impossible to move the car – its wheels had got stuck in the mud.► see thesaurus at ground2here’s mud in your eye spoken old-fashioned used for expressing good wishes when having an alcoholic drink with someone SYN cheers British English → as clear as mud at clear1(18), → drag somebody’s name through the mud at drag1(10), → somebody’s name is mud at name1(15)
WORD ORIGINmud
Origin:
1300-1400 Probably from Middle Low German muddeEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- a mud hut
- Hayley scraped the dried mud off her boots.
- Remove mud from your bike by spraying with a hose.
- Their expensive riding jackets were covered in mud.
- There's mud all over the carpet.
- But he saw her standing in the mud, feet apart, rope in hand.
- Cultivation: A medium containing plenty of mud or clay or detritus is essential.
- Flora and I were walking through the palm grove, on mud paths between tiny squares of pale green barley.
- He swung his legs over the fence, but his right boot got caught and he tumbled into the mud.
- I felt the mud under my hands, then quickly took a pinch into my mouth.
- The crumbled porcelain of a third lay embedded like fossilized prehistoric remains long entombed in silt and mud.
- The posies of corn had been trampled in the mud.
- The tide was making, although the boats still rested on the mud.
THESAURUS
the surface of the Earth, or the soil on its surface: · He collapsed and fell to the ground.· The ground was wet and muddy.
the ground at the bottom of the ocean, a forest, a cave etc: · Many wonderful creatures live on the ocean floor.
used when talking about an area of ground that is owned by someone, or is used for an activity. Also used when talking about the part of the Earth’s surface that is not covered with water: · His family owns a lot of land.· agricultural land· She got off the ferry, happy to be back on dry land.
a type of land – used when talking about how easy an area of land is to cross, and whether it is rocky, flat etc: · The Land Rover is built to go over rough terrain.· The terrain gets flatter when you go further south.
the substance that plants grow in: · The vegetables were still covered in black soil.
wet earth: · Your shoes are covered in mud.
the top layer of the earth that plants grow in: · Roses do best in well-drained, slightly acid soil.
the brown substance that the ground is made up of: · Thousands of tons of earth were moved to build the dam.
American English loose dry earth: · a pile of loose dirt in the wheelbarrow
a dry powder made up of extremely small bits of earth or sand: · A cloud of dust billowed out behind the tractor.
wet soil that has become soft and sticky: · The dog came back covered in mud.
Longman Language Activatorunwilling to accept changes or new ideas someone who has fixed ideas has opinions and attitudes that never change, and often seem unreasonable: · These old teachers tend to have very fixed ideas.have fixed ideas about: · He has very fixed ideas about the way a wife should behave.
strongly opposed to change, especially social or political change, in a way that you think is unreasonable: · The seventy-year-old president has been condemned as reactionary by his radical opponents.· He is known for his reactionary views on immigration and the reintroduction of the death penalty.· Cultural attitudes to women were more reactionary than in most of Western Europe.
entrenched attitudes are ones that people have had for a long time and are very difficult to change: entrenched in: · The unequal treatment of men and women in the labour market is deeply entrenched in our culture. firmly/deeply entrenched: · In the small towns racial prejudice was deeply entrenched.entrenched attitudes/habits/beliefs etc: · The attitudes of adults to the mentally handicapped tend to be firmly entrenched, and difficult to change.
informal someone who has old-fashioned attitudes and is unwilling to change or try something new: · Come on, don't be such an old stick in the mud.· She accused him of being a stick in the mud.
someone who still refuses to change their beliefs even when most other people have changed them: · Apart from a few union diehards most of the men have accepted the new productivity agreement.
a group of people or an institution that is hidebound has very old-fashioned ideas and attitudes and is unwilling to change them: · It was predictable that the medical establishment, so hidebound and reactionary, would reject Dr Stone's ideas.· The hidebound attitudes of Russia's powerful aristocracy made any kind of progress impossible.
something that makes things dirty dust, mud, or anything else that makes things dirty: · Why is there dirt all over the back seat of the car?· She swept the dirt off the back porch.· He took off his glasses, which were covered with dirt.speck of dirt (=small piece of dirt): · The rooms were cleaned until every speck of dirt and grit was gone.
dry powder that forms a layer on furniture, floors, clothes etc, especially when they have not been cleaned or moved for a long time: · Max brushed the dust off his coat.layer of dust: · There was a thick layer of dust on the furniture.
wet earth that sticks to your shoes, clothes, car, tyres etc: · There's mud all over the carpet.· Hayley scraped the dried mud off her boots.· Their expensive riding jackets were covered in mud.
the harmful effects on water, air, or land of chemicals and waste from factories, cars, modern farming methods etc: · Industrial pollution has killed much of the river's wildlife.· Pollution from cars is the main cause of global warming.· The convention, signed by the six states bordering the Black Sea, aims to reduce current pollution levels.
British informal dirt or mud: · I'll just clean the muck off the windscreen and wing mirrors.be covered in muck: · His hands and fingernails were filthy, his face and legs covered in muck.
thick, dark dirt that covers a surface over a period of time and is difficult to remove: · On one wall of the entryway hangs a large oil painting, covered with grime.· His hands were black with grime from working on the car.
WORD SETSaprès-ski, nounbackpack, nounbackyard, nounbandstand, nounbarbecue, nounbarbecue, verbbarbie, nounbarker, nounBBQ, nounbeach ball, nounbeach chair, nounbeachcomber, nounbedroll, nounbig dipper, nounbig top, nounbig wheel, nounbilly, nounbirdseed, nounbird table, nounbivouac, nounbivouac, verbbloodhound, nounboardwalk, nounboating, nounbonfire, nounboomerang, nounbooth, nounbotanical garden, nounbriquette, nouncamp, verbcamper, nouncampground, nouncampsite, nouncampstool, nouncaravan, nouncaravanning, nouncoarse fishing, nouncompass, nouncrampon, nouncrest, verbcruise, verbcruise, nouncruiser, nouncyclist, noundovecot, noundriving range, nounduckboards, noundune buggy, nounfair, nounfairground, nounFerris wheel, nounfête, nounfield glasses, nounfish, verbfisherman, nounfishing, nounfishing line, nounfishing rod, nounfishing tackle, nounflysheet, nounFrisbee, nounfunfair, noungarden party, noungazebo, nounghost train, nounground cloth, noungroundsheet, noungun dog, nounguy, nounhammock, nounhamper, nounhelter-skelter, nounhen house, nounhide, nounhike, nounhike, verbhiker, nounhorsey, adjectiveiron rations, nounjungle gym, nounlido, nounlounger, nounmap-reading, nounmarina, nounmarquee, nounmaze, nounmenagerie, nounmerry-go-round, nounmetal detector, nounminiature golf, nounmonkey bars, nounmud, nounmudbath, nounmuddy, adjectivemud pie, nounnature reserve, nounnook, nounnudist, nounoutdoors, adverboutdoorsy, adjectiveoutfitter, nounpack, nounpack trip, nounpaddle, nounpaddle, verbpaddling pool, nounpageant, nounparade, nounparasol, nounpark, nounpark keeper, nounparkland, nounpatio, nounpavilion, nounpeg, nounpiton, nounpothole, nounPrimus, nounpromenade, nounPunch and Judy show, nounpunt, verbPYO, ramble, verbramble, nounrambler, nounrecreation ground, nounrest area, nounride, nounrod, nounroller coaster, nounroundabout, nounrubber dinghy, nounrucksack, nounrunner, nounRV, nounsailing, nounsailing boat, nounsandcastle, nounshooting stick, nounsite, nounsledge, verbsleeping bag, nounspeleology, nounsport, nounstate park, nounstock car, nounsub-aqua, adjectivesummerhouse, nounsunbathe, verbsundial, nounsun-drenched, adjectivesun lounger, nounsun-worshipper, nounsurfboard, nounswing, nounswing set, nountent, nountheme park, nountoboggan, verbtool, verbtootle, verbtopless, adjectivetorch, nountrain spotter, nounwading pool, nounwalk, nounwalker, nounwalking, nounwater bottle, nounwigwam, nounwilderness area, nounwoodcraft, nounyachting, nounyachtsman, nounyachtswoman, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY boots caked with mud (=covered in mud)COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIESCOLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
boots caked with mud (=covered in mud)· What this really means, of course, is still as clear as mud.
· It was terrible weather, stormy and wet, with deep mud in the streets.· But Antley let his horse settle in third and wait for the leaders to tire in the deep mud.· Outside, the rain Courses in cart-ruts down the deep mud lane.· The upper path was deep in mud: the lower one was now a stream.· The very sturdy rootstock is embedded deep in the mud.
· The man spun round so swiftly that George was taken aback and tripped, falling on to the soft mud.· The soft new mud automatically eliminated the need for plowing and fertilization.· It is also a very useful rig for fishing over soft mud and weed.· They followed the stream, their feet quiet on the soft mud, the boot soles leaving patterns in damp places.
· Heavy rain clouds gathered and the roads next morning were clogged with thick, heavy mud.· She landed flat on her face in thick mud.· Some are very inaccessible and he has to wade through thick mud to get at them.· The fallen clothes were as difficult to wade through as thick mud.· Hundreds of fans at the Reading Rock Festival were stuck with their cars and vans in thick mud last night.· There was thick mud underfoot; it stuck to the soles of her shoes.· As he stumbled around the far side of the breakwater, the hard sand was replaced by thick mud.
NOUN· However, even disintegrated mud brick can help to assess rebuilding phases in Penivian villages or Near Eastern tells.· Even today many members of these tribes live in multi-occupation dwellings made from sun-dried mud bricks known as adobe.· Archaeologists found it in a boat-shaped tomb 29m long, made out of mud bricks and buried deep in the sand.· The ground was covered with crumbling mud bricks, heaps of cracked white stone.
· Sea-birds, like snowflakes, turned lazily far out over the mud flats ....· It is one of merged meadowlands ending in the great saltings and mud flats and tidal pools near the restless sea.· In some areas, such as a Donna Nook and Theddlethorpe, the sand and mud flats are incredibly vast.· It is, in fact a large, dusty mud flat.· Wading birds collect great quantities of small molluscs from sandbanks and mud flats when the tide retreats.· Cardiff was, of course, built on mud flats, and nature takes a long time to change.· If the mud flats freeze over, it is impossible for them to find sufficient food.· At Grangemouth docks were dug out of the mud flats.
· To our western eyes as he stood in his raggy, holed clothes in front of his mud hut he would appear very poor.· Cataracts launched them downriver before they had time to think; waves like mud huts threw them eight feet into the air.· In a mud hut on an endless plain, she sorted through the bones of unrecognizable animals.· Its architecture consists of round, thatched mud huts set off by straw fences.· The geography of evil: tunnels and bamboo thickets and mud huts and graves.· The mud hut that calls itself a hospital contains nothing but flies.· Kamilo said her mud hut had been entered just a few days earlier by thieves who stole her only bedsheet.
· The largest of them, Rocinha, somehow houses 60,000 people in tiny shacks that are regularly engulfed in mud slides.· Have you ever seen mud slide?
· It was cold, too, an icy wind sneaking in through the thatch and through gaps in the mud wall.· This study should generate precise data about the thermal characteristics of mud walls.· They had strengthened structurally weak areas around doors and windows with layers of fired bricks set into the mud walls.
VERB· The evidence suggests that almost all the village houses in earlier days were built of dried mud with thatched roofs.· She and her husband and six children are struggling to build a one-room mud hut on the grounds of the camp.· In common with other members of the swallow family, house martins build elaborate mud nests precariously slung beneath the eaves of a house.· Flamingos build nest mounds of mud and lay but one egg.
· Once more the three men buried themselves in the mud and waited until another passing cloud allowed them to advance a few more yards.· His feet were bare: his trainers were still buried in the mud.· Usually the plant has its rootstock deeply buried in the mud or tank medium.· They can bury themselves in mud during droughts and live in a cocoon made out of mucus from their skin.
· The hand was caked in mud, the fingers hooked into a claw.· The left side of her face is caked with bloodied mud.· She took the can in her gloved hand, which was caked in black mud.· At noon, Ron Malcolm appeared at the door, wearing boots caked with dried mud and a red baseball cap.· His boots were still caked with mud, but they could wait.· Bodies caked in mud, the rescuers gather for a debriefing session; up sound.
· Movie sniper Jude Law and Rachel Weisz are covered in mud but still have their sights set on desire.· Anne was not hurt, but her hands, face and overcoat were covered with mud.· She was soaked and covered in mud, her dress torn in several places.· He was sitting in a new white Jensen sports car that was covered in mud, with a sensational blonde, sensational.· When everywhere and everything seems covered in mud - especially your horse - it's hard to keep up appearances.· He too was covered in mud and green dirt, but the features that they almost concealed were boyishly pleasant.· As little girls returned covered in dust and mud a parental boycott developed.· The ground was covered with crumbling mud bricks, heaps of cracked white stone.
· Killion and Richards, half undressed and filthy, were carrying Church; his feet were dragging in the mud.· He tried to drag himself through the mud but he only sank more deeply into it.
· Anaximenes noticed that when river-beds dry up, the mud cracks.· They are about as strong as dried clods of mud.· A list of names and numbers was painted on a board, nailed into the dried mud of the hut.· Wall of dried mud, a roof of interlaced palm leaves and the only entrance a low door...· Beam of light on my fingers, white with dried mud.· Jeri and I thrashed ahead, following subsidiary ruts in the dried mud, and then tire marks in the grass.· At noon, Ron Malcolm appeared at the door, wearing boots caked with dried mud and a red baseball cap.
· At one time, the space between the timbers would have been filled with mud and straw.· Now imagine the room is filled with mud.· But as ships have become larger and the rivers have filled with mud and silt, their functions as ports have declined.
· In the police cells the Masai warrior, Tepilit, lies on the mud floor.· Four I-beams lay criss-crossed in the mud.· For Fedorov was still supposed to believe him to be lying in the mud at the bottom of the Danube.· We bailed out, they took off, and I was lying in the mud.· He looked down and saw his colleague still lying in the mud, not daring to move.· He just lay silent in the mud and glared at Mr Linley.· Yes, there was certainly a figure lying in the mud.· But a piece of bread lying in almost liquid mud will demand a more prolonged cleaning process.
· The pharaohs lived in mud palaces but were buried in monumental stone edifices.· They lived in mud houses without electricity or water, revelling in the glory of the mission.· Some bacteria that live in mud on Earth use chains of magnetite as tiny compasses to determine which way is up.· Tubifex are very thin, long red aquatic larvae which live in the mud of slow flowing rivers and ponds.
· Teresa scraped the mud off her boots, then stepped out of them.· Finally I took a flat rock and got down on all fours and scraped the mud off each wheel.· She scraped the mud away and revealed a piece of scrimshaw.· Then I scraped the mud off again, and we drove another revolution.
· Implexion had stood in the mud of the canyon, the pathetic tents being demolished around him by his militia.· But he saw her standing in the mud, feet apart, rope in hand.
· If he'd gone right down, he'd have stuck in the mud, and been out of the tide.· I was stuck in the mud, and so was every-body else, and we were trying to get out.· One day while sailing down the Mississippi the Diamond Joe became stuck in mud.
· But then it turned to mud - horrible stuff that sucked at my feet, and stank.· Its entire purpose is somehow to turn mud into a cement-like material - a material with a multi-national answer to housing problems.· The rain had also turned the city to mud, not the usual red mud but a curious purple shade.· Roads were turned to mud by days of rain and Fiorio had the additional hardship of a bubbling radiator to contend with.· The rain which would turn their campground to mud, and fill the cisterns of Famagusta.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► drag somebody’s name through the mud► somebody’s name is mud
1wet earth that has become soft and sticky: - Joe's directions are as clear as mud.
- What this really means, of course, is still as clear as mud.
By the end of the game, all the kids were covered in mud. The path beside the river was slippery with mud. Many villages in Mali consist of mud huts. boots caked with mud (=covered in mud) It was impossible to move the car – its wheels had got stuck in the mud.► see thesaurus at ground2here’s mud in your eye spoken old-fashioned used for expressing good wishes when having an alcoholic drink with someone SYN cheers British English → as clear as mud at clear1(18), → drag somebody’s name through the mud at drag1(10), → somebody’s name is mud at name1(15)