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Puzzle vs Muddle - What's the difference?

puzzle | muddle | Related terms |

Puzzle is a related term of muddle.


As nouns the difference between puzzle and muddle

is that puzzle is puzzle while muddle is a mixture; a confusion; a garble.

As a verb muddle is

to mix together, to mix up; to confuse.

puzzle

English

(wikipedia puzzle)

Noun

(en noun)
  • Anything that is difficult to understand or make sense of.
    • Where he went after he left the house is a puzzle.
  • A game for one person that is more or less difficult to work out or complete.
  • A crossword puzzle.
  • A jigsaw puzzle.
  • A riddle.
  • (archaic) Something made with marvellous skill; something of ingenious construction.
  • The state of being puzzled; perplexity.
    • to be in a puzzle

    Synonyms

    * (anything difficult to understand or make sense of ): anybody's guess, anyone's guess, conundrum, enigma, mystery * (game for one person ): brain-teaser, poser * (crossword puzzle ): crossword, crossword puzzle * (''jigsaw puzzle): jigsaw, jigsaw puzzle * (riddle ): guessing game, riddle

    Derived terms

    * Chinese puzzle * crossword puzzle * jigsaw puzzle * monkey puzzle * puzzle out * puzzle over * puzzled * puzzlement * puzzler * puzzling

    Verb

    (puzzl)
  • (label) To perplex (someone).
  • * (Henry More) (1614-1687)
    • A very shrewd disputant in those points is dexterous in puzzling others, if they be not thoroughpaced speculators in those great theories.
  • * (Joseph Addison) (1672-1719)
    • He is perpetually puzzled and perplexed amidst his own blunders.
  • *{{quote-book, year=1927, author= F. E. Penny
    • , chapter=4, title= Pulling the Strings , passage=The case was that of a murder. It had an element of mystery about it, however, which was puzzling the authorities. A turban and loincloth soaked in blood had been found; also a staff.}}
  • To make intricate; to entangle.
  • * (Joseph Addison) (1672-1719)
    • The ways of Heaven are dark and intricate, / Puzzled in mazes, and perplexed with error.
  • * (William Cowper) (1731-1800)
    • They disentangle from the puzzled skein.

    Synonyms

    * See also

    Derived terms

    * puzzled * puzzle out * puzzle over * puzzle through * puzzler * puzzling

    Related terms

    * puzzlement

    References

    ----

    muddle

    English

    Verb

    (muddl)
  • To mix together, to mix up; to confuse.
    • Young children tend to muddle their words.
  • To mash slightly for use in a cocktail.
    • He muddled the mint sprigs in the bottom of the glass.
  • To dabble in mud.
    • (Jonathan Swift)
  • To make turbid or muddy.
  • * L'Estrange
    • He did ill to muddle the water.
  • To think and act in a confused, aimless way.
  • To cloud or stupefy; to render stupid with liquor; to intoxicate partially.
  • * Bentley
    • Their old master Epicurus seems to have had his brains so muddled and confounded with them, that he scarce ever kept in the right way.
  • * Arbuthnot
    • often drunk, always muddled
  • To waste or misuse, as one does who is stupid or intoxicated.
  • * Hazlitt
    • They muddle it [money] away without method or object, and without having anything to show for it.

    Derived terms

    * muddler (agent noun) * muddle along * muddle through * muddle up

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A mixture; a confusion; a garble.
    • The muddle of nervous speech he uttered did not have much meaning.

    Derived terms

    * muddle-headed