Muck vs Mess - What's the difference?
muck | mess |
Slimy mud.
Soft or slimy manure.
dirt; something that makes another thing dirty.
Anything filthy or vile.
(obsolete, derogatory) money
* Beaumont and Fletcher
To shovel muck.
To manure with muck.
To do a dirty job.
(poker, colloquial) To pass (gloss, give one's cards back to the dealer).
(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.
* Milton
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.
* 1610 , , IV. iv. 11:
A set of four (from the old practice of dividing companies into sets of four at dinner).
(US) The milk given by a cow at one milking.
(label) To take meals with a mess.
(label) To belong to a mess.
(label) To eat (with others).
(label) To supply with a mess.
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.
(label) To make a mess of.
(label) To throw into confusion.
(label) To interfere.
As nouns the difference between muck and mess
is that muck is slimy mud while 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.As verbs the difference between muck and mess
is that muck is to shovel muck while mess is (label) to take meals with a mess or mess can be (label) to make a mess of.muck
English
Noun
(-)- The car was covered in muck from the rally race.
- I need to clean the muck off my shirt.
- (Francis Bacon)
- What's that green muck on the floor?
- (Spenser)
- the fatal muck we quarrelled for
Derived terms
* mucky * where there's muck there's brassVerb
(en verb)- We need to muck the stable before it gets too thick.
Derived terms
* muck about * muck around * muck in * muck out * muck up * mucker * muckraker * mucky * muck spreader * common as muck * where there's muck there's brass ----mess
English
Etymology 1
From (etyl) (m), partly from (etyl) . More at (m); see also (m).Noun
(es)- A mess of pottage.
- At their savoury dinner set / Of herbs and other country messes .
- the wardroom mess
- But that our feasts / In every mess have folly, and the feeders / Digest it with accustom,
- (Latimer)