What does hugger-mugger mean?
Definitions for hugger-mugger
ˈhʌg ərˌmʌg ərhug·ger-mug·ger
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word hugger-mugger.
Princeton's WordNet
hugger-muggeradjective
a state of confusion
"he engaged in the hugger-mugger of international finance"
disorderly, higgledy-piggledy, hugger-mugger, jumbled, topsy-turvyadjective
in utter disorder
"a disorderly pile of clothes"
clandestine, cloak-and-dagger, hole-and-corner(a), hugger-mugger, hush-hush, secret, surreptitious, undercover, undergroundverb
conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods
"clandestine intelligence operations"; "cloak-and-dagger activities behind enemy lines"; "hole-and-corner intrigue"; "secret missions"; "a secret agent"; "secret sales of arms"; "surreptitious mobilization of troops"; "an undercover investigation"; "underground resistance"
hugger muggeradverb
act stealthily or secretively
hugger-muggeradverb
in secrecy
"they did it all hugger-mugger"
GCIDE
Hugger-muggernoun
Confusion; disorder.
Wiktionary
hugger-muggernoun
Secrecy.
hugger-muggernoun
Disorder.
hugger-muggeradverb
Secretly.
hugger-muggeradverb
Confusedly, in a muddle.
hugger-muggeradjective
Secret, clandestine.
hugger-muggeradjective
Disorderly, chaotic, confused.
Etymology: The origin of hugger-mugger is unknown; it is perhaps from Anglo-Irish cuggermugger, "a whispering, a low-voiced gossiping," from Irish cogair!, "whisper!". Compare Swedish mjugg. (dictionary.com)
Webster Dictionary
Hugger-muggernoun
privacy; secrecy. Commonly in the phrase in hugger-mugger, with haste and secrecy
Hugger-muggeradjective
secret; clandestine; sly
Hugger-muggeradjective
confused; disorderly; slovenly; mean; as, hugger-mugger doings
Etymology: [Scot. huggrie-muggrie; Prov. E. hugger to lie in ambush, mug mist, muggard sullen.]
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Hugger-mugger
hug′ėr-mug′ėr, n. secrecy: confusion. [Perh. a rhyming extension of hug.]
Dictionary of Nautical Terms
hugger-mugger
In its Shakspearian bearing may have meant secretly, or in a clandestine manner, but its nautical application is to express anything out of order or done in a slovenly way.
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of hugger-mugger in Chaldean Numerology is: 2
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of hugger-mugger in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2
Translation
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"hugger-mugger." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. Web. 28 Mar. 2023. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/hugger-mugger>.
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