hugger-mugger

Meaning

Adj

1. Secret, clandestine, sly.
2. Disorderly, chaotic, confused.

Noun

1. (archaic, uncountable) Secrecy.
2. (uncountable) Disorder.

Adv

1. Secretly.
2. Confusedly, in a muddle.

Verb

To meet or act secretly.

Synonyms

topsy-turvy

higgledy-piggledy

secret

㊙️

hole-and-corner

cloak-and-dagger

clandestine

disorderly

confusion

awry

cluttered

disordered

hush-hush

in secret

jumbled

littered

surreptitious

undercover

underground

upset

fuss

helter-skelter

conceal

secretly

hush up

inscrutably

backstair

backstairs

puzzledly

mysterious

mysteriously

mystery

perturbation

secrecy

cagy

abashment

conspiracy

conspiration

covert

disorder

secretive

confused

😕

disorganized

furtive

Translations

secreto

㊙️

secret

㊙️

ocult

encobert

amagat

farrigo-farrago

confusément

clandestin

conspiration

désordonné

poti-poti

confusamente

confuso

😕

segreto

㊙️

clandestí

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈhʌɡ.əˌmʌɡ.ə/

Etymology

Cognate with Swedish: mjugg

In summary

Unknown; perhaps from Anglo-Irish cuggermugger (“a whispering, a low-voiced gossiping”), from Irish cogar (“whisper”). Compare also Scots hudge-mudge, hody-moke, Swedish mjugg (“stealth, secrecy”).