Tra từ muddle - Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th

mud·dle [muddle muddles muddled muddling] verb, noun BrE [ˈmʌdl] NAmE [ˈmʌdl]
verb (especially BrE)
1. to put things in the wrong order or mix them up
•~ sth Don't do that— you're muddling my papers.
•~ sth up Their letters were all muddled up together in a drawer.
2. ~ sb (up) to confuse sb
•Slow down a little— you're muddling me.
3. ~ sb/sth (up) | ~ A (up) with B to confuse one person or thing with another
Syn: mix up
•I muddled the dates and arrived a week early.
•He got all muddled up about what went where.
•They look so alike, I always get them muddled up.
Verb forms:

Word Origin:
late Middle English (in the sense ‘wallow in mud’): perhaps from Middle Dutch moddelen, frequentative of modden ‘dabble in mud’; compare with ↑mud. The sense ‘confuse’ was initially associated with alcoholic drink (late 17th cent.), giving rise to ‘busy oneself in a confused way’ and ‘jumble up’ (mid 19th cent.).

Example Bank:
•All the cups and saucers have been muddled up.
•Don't do that— you're muddling my papers.
•Their letters were muddled up together in a drawer.
Derived: ↑muddle along ▪ ↑muddle through

noun (especially BrE)
1. countable, usually singular a state of mental confusion
•Can you start from the beginning again— I'm in a muddle.
2. countable, usually singular, uncountable ~ (about/over sth) a situation in which there is confusion about arrangements, etc. and things are done wrong
•There was a muddle over the theatre tickets.
•There followed a long period of confusion and muddle.
3. countable, usually singular, uncountable a state of confusion in which things are untidy
Syn: ↑mess
•My papers are all in a muddle.

Word Origin:
late Middle English (in the sense ‘wallow in mud’): perhaps from Middle Dutch moddelen, frequentative of modden ‘dabble in mud’; compare with ↑mud. The sense ‘confuse’ was initially associated with alcoholic drink (late 17th cent.), giving rise to ‘busy oneself in a confused way’ and ‘jumble up’ (mid 19th cent.).

Example Bank:
•The house was in a awful muddle by the time the children left.
•The judge made a muddle of the case.
•There was a bureaucratic muddle over his appointment.
•Don't just throw your tools into the shed in a muddle.
•He picked up a dirty glass, part of the muddle on the mantelpiece.
•My desk was the usual muddle of books, files and papers.
•My papers are all in a muddle.