IELTS SAT TEM8
外刊例句
- America has grown healthily and the rest of the world has muddled along.
美国经济健康增长，世界其他地区也还算过得去。
——《经济学人》 - Yes, Southern Europe is experiencing an economic crisis thanks to that money muddle.
是的，由于货币引发的混乱，欧洲南部正在经历经济危机。
——《纽约时报》
基本释义
[verb] bring into a disordered or confusing state
[动词] 使陷入混乱或令人费解的状态
深入解读
看到 muddle 一词，小站的老铁们应该不难想起差不多一年前推过的 小词详解 | meddle ，这两个单词不仅形似，而且含义也稍稍有些接近。别第一眼觉得 muddle 很陌生，其实它可能衍生自英语单词 mud （烂泥、泥浆、淤泥），也可能直接源自中古荷兰语 moddelen （使水等浑浊），其基本含义即像把水弄浑一样“弄乱、搅浑”，多指将事物以错误的顺序弄乱或混淆，比如：
- 别动——你会弄乱我的文件的。我可是花了好长时间才整理好的。
Don’t do that─you’re muddling my papers. It took me a long time to collate them. - 他们神秘隐晦的情书都乱七八糟地放在一个抽屉里。
Their cryptic love letters were all muddled up together in a drawer.
这个概念也可以用在人身上，把脑袋弄乱，即表示“使困惑、使糊涂”，以及指酒、麻醉药等“使烂醉、使昏昏沉沉”，比如：
- 说慢点儿——你都把我搞糊涂了。我真搞不懂你在说什么。
Slow down a little─you’re muddling me. I really couldn’t fathom what you are talking about. - 那男人醉醺醺地踉跄着走出了酒吧。他喝了两杯就醉了。
The man lurched drunkenly out of the pub. Two drinks muddled him.
东西弄混之后或者脑袋乱了之后，就容易分不清两个比较相似的人或物以至于不知道哪个是哪个，这可以用 muddle sb/sth (up) 或 muddle A (up) with B 表示某人“混淆、搅浑、分不清”，比如：
- 我搞错了日期，早到了一个星期。
I muddled the dates and arrived a week early.
虽然混乱不是件好事，但有时候我们在缺乏相应的知识、信息、设备等时，甚至都不知道自己在干什么，也要蒙混过关达成目标，这就可以用 muddle through 表示“胡乱应付过去”，与小站之前在 小词详解 | brazen 中提到的 brazen it/sth out （厚着脸皮硬挺过去）有些近义，比如：
- 你不必为这事吵吵嚷嚷。我们能想办法应付过去。
You don’t have to be blatant about it. We’ll muddle through somehow. - 显然媒体已被封了口，因为什么都没有报道。现在我们能做的顶多就是设法保持冷静，蒙混过关。
The media has obviously been gagged because nothing has been reported. The best we can do now is try to stay cool and muddle through.
而在英式英语中还有一种混法叫 muddle along ，指的是“混日子、得过且过”，比如：
- 我们不能就这样混日子。我们必须设法摆脱贫困的煎熬。
We can’t just keep muddling along like this. We must contrive a way to escape the grinding poverty.
用作名词时， muddle 除了自然表示“糊涂、困惑、茫然”以及“混乱、乱七八糟”外，也可以用 muddle about/over sth 表示局面“一团糟、混乱”，比如：
- 我曾在一家戏院兼职当引座员。那里的戏票管理问题一团糟。
I did part-time work as an usher in a theatre. There was a muddle over the theatre tickets.
双语名著
Bagovut, a sturdy old general of placid disposition, had been worried too by all the delays, the muddles, and the contradictory orders, and, to the amazement of everybody, he flew into a violent rage, quite out of keeping with his character, and said some very nasty things to Toll.
巴戈乌特是一个文静的、能征善战的老将军，他也因为一路拖延、混乱和错误百出被搞得筋疲力竭，令人惊讶的是，他一反平日的温文尔雅，大发雷霆，他对托尔说了许多难听的话。
出自俄国作家列夫·托尔斯泰（ Leo Tolstoy）创作的长篇小说《战争与和平》（War and Peace）。本书于1865年到1869年出版，讲述欧洲拿破仑时期俄罗斯所发生的事。《战争与和平》自从问世以来，一直被认为是世界上最伟大的小说之一。
常见短语
“muddle” 是一个英语词汇，通常用来表示混乱、困惑等意思。以下是与这个词相关的 50 个短语，附带中文解释：
- muddle through – 勉强应付
- muddle-headed – 糊涂的
- muddle of emotions – 情感混乱
- muddle in paperwork – 文件混乱
- muddle of thoughts – 思绪混乱
- muddle of ideas – 想法混乱
- muddle of opinions – 观点混乱
- muddle up facts – 混淆事实
- muddle of details – 细节混乱
- muddle of memories – 记忆混乱
- muddle of tasks – 任务混乱
- muddle in conversation – 对话混乱
- muddle of decisions – 决策混乱
- muddle of feelings – 感情混乱
- muddle in relationships – 关系混乱
- muddle of instructions – 指示混乱
- muddle of plans – 计划混乱
- muddle in explanations – 解释混乱
- muddle of schedules – 日程混乱
- muddle in the kitchen – 厨房混乱
- muddle in organization – 组织混乱
- muddle of words – 词语混乱
- muddle in the workspace – 工作空间混乱
- muddle up priorities – 混淆优先事项
- muddle of directions – 方向混乱
- muddle in decision-making – 决策混乱
- muddle of information – 信息混乱
- muddle of files – 文件混乱
- muddle up plans – 扰乱计划
- muddle in learning – 学习混乱
- muddle of data – 数据混乱
- muddle in time management – 时间管理混乱
- muddle of colors – 颜色混乱
- muddle of intentions – 意图混乱
- muddle in procedures – 流程混乱
- muddle of priorities – 优先事项混乱
- muddle of accounts – 账户混乱
- muddle up projects – 弄乱项目
- muddle in communication – 沟通混乱
- muddle of options – 选择混乱
- muddle up arrangements – 弄乱安排
- muddle of goals – 目标混乱
- muddle in the classroom – 教室混乱
- muddle of procedures – 流程混乱
- muddle up instructions – 混淆指示
- muddle of appointments – 约会混乱
- muddle in presentation – 演示混乱
- muddle of concepts – 概念混乱
- muddle in financial matters – 财务事务混乱
- muddle of documents – 文件混乱
同近义词
- jumble: mix up in a confused or untidy way
- disarrange: make (something) untidy or disordered
- scramble: make (something) jumbled or muddled
