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Mess vs Rubbish - What's the difference?

mess | rubbish |

As nouns the difference between mess and rubbish

is that mess is (obsolete) mass; church service or mess can be a disagreeable mixture or confusion of things; hence, a situation resulting from blundering or from misunderstanding; a disorder while rubbish is garbage, junk, refuse, waste.

As verbs the difference between mess and rubbish

is that mess is (label) to take meals with a mess or mess can be (label) to make a mess of while rubbish is to denounce, to criticise, to denigrate, to disparage.

As an adjective rubbish is

(chiefly|au|nz|british|colloquial) exceedingly bad; awful; terrible; crappy.

As an interjection rubbish is

(colloquial) expresses that something is exceedingly bad, terrible or awful.

mess

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) (m), partly from (etyl) . More at (m); see also (m).

Noun

(es)
  • (obsolete) Mass; church service.
  • A quantity of food set on a table at one time; provision of food for a person or party for one meal; also, the food given to an animal at one time.
  • A mess of pottage.
  • * Milton
  • At their savoury dinner set / Of herbs and other country messes .
  • A number of persons who eat together, and for whom food is prepared in common; especially, persons in the military or naval service who eat at the same table.
  • the wardroom mess
  • * 1610 , , IV. iv. 11:
  • But that our feasts / In every mess have folly, and the feeders / Digest it with accustom,
  • A set of four (from the old practice of dividing companies into sets of four at dinner).
  • (Latimer)
  • (US) The milk given by a cow at one milking.
  • Derived terms
    * Eton mess * lose the number of one's mess * mess hall * mess up * Mills Mess

    Verb

  • (label) To take meals with a mess.
  • (label) To belong to a mess.
  • (label) To eat (with others).
  • (label) To supply with a mess.
  • Etymology 2

    Perhaps a corruption of (etyl) , compare (muss), or derived from Etymology 1 "mixed foods, as for animals".

    Noun

    (-)
  • A disagreeable mixture or confusion of things; hence, a situation resulting from blundering or from misunderstanding; a disorder.
  • (label) A large quantity or number.
  • (label) Excrement.
  • Synonyms
    * see also

    Verb

    (es)
  • (label) To make a mess of.
  • (label) To throw into confusion.
  • (label) To interfere.
  • Derived terms
    (terms derived from "mess") * messy * mess around * mess up * mess with

    References

    *

    Anagrams

    * ----

    rubbish

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • (chiefly, AU, NZ, British, colloquial) Exceedingly bad; awful; terrible; crappy.
  • This has been a rubbish day, and it's about to get worse: my mother-in-law is coming to stay.

    Interjection

  • (colloquial) Expresses that something is exceedingly bad, terrible or awful.
  • The one day I actually practice my violin, the teacher cancels the lesson.
    Aw, rubbish ! Though at least this means you have time to play football...
  • Expresses that what was recently said is untruth or nonsense.
  • Rubbish! I did nothing of the sort!

    Synonyms

    * (expresses that what was recently said is untruth or nonsense) nonsense, bullshit, bollocks

    Noun

    (wikipedia rubbish) (-)
  • Garbage, junk, refuse, waste.
  • The rubbish is collected every Thursday in Gloucester, but on Wednesdays in Cheltenham.
  • Nonsense.
  • Everything the teacher said during that lesson was rubbish . How can she possibly think that a bass viol and a cello are the same thing?
  • Fragments of buildings; ruins; debris.
  • * Dryden
  • He saw the town's one half in rubbish lie.

    Synonyms

    * See also * See also

    Derived terms

    * rubbish bin

    Verb

    (es)
  • To denounce, to criticise, to denigrate, to disparage.
  • Derived terms

    * rubbisher

    References