mud
mud — 名詞
1. soft, wet earth that forms when water mixes with soil, often found on the ground
泥巴
混了水的軟土
soft, wet earth that forms when water mixes with soil, often found on the ground after rain or near rivers.
After the heavy rain, the garden path turned into thick, sticky mud.
大雨過後，花園小徑變成了又厚又黏的泥巴。
Talia wiped the mud off her boots before she walked into the house.
Talia 進屋前先把靴子上的泥巴擦掉。
collocation: wipe mud off [something]
The children spent the afternoon making mud pies in the backyard.
孩子們整個下午都在後院玩泥巴。
Lukas got his car stuck in the mud on the farm road.
Lukas 的車在農場小路上陷進泥巴裡了。
collocation: stuck in the mud
The dog ran through the garden and came back inside covered in mud and leaves.
那隻狗跑過花園，回來時全身沾滿了泥巴和樹葉。
- thick mud
- soft mud
- wet mud
- sticky mud
- mud bath
- mud hut
- mud pie
- mud puddle
文法句型
preposition + mud (in/through/with the mud)
mud + noun (mud hut / mud bath / mud pie)
用法筆記
Mud is uncountable — do not say 'a mud'. Use 'some mud', 'a patch of mud', or 'a lot of mud'.
常見錯誤
2. insults or untrue statements made about someone in public, especially in politic
毀謗
惡意中傷他人的言論
insults or untrue statements made about someone in public, especially in politics, with the goal of damaging that person's reputation.
During the election, both candidates threw mud at each other in the televised debate.
選舉期間，兩位候選人在電視辯論中互相潑髒水。
collocation: throw mud at [someone]
Saira refused to take part in the mud-slinging and kept her comments respectful and honest.
Saira 拒絕參與這場互相抹黑的攻防，始終保持尊重與誠實的發言。
collocation: mud-slinging (compound noun)
The article threw mud at the mayor's personal life instead of his policies.
那篇文章攻擊市長的私生活，而不是討論他的政策。
Hugo believed that mud sticks, so he never said anything bad about his coworkers.
Hugo 相信毀謗的話語會留下痕跡，所以他從來不說同事的壞話。
- sling mud
- throw mud
- mud-slinging
- mud-slinging campaign
- slander
stronger, more formal; carries legal implications of false spoken statements
- defamation
formal legal term for harming someone's reputation through false claims
- smear
a deliberate attempt to damage a reputation, often through a 'smear campaign'
- praise
expressing approval or admiration
文法句型
throw / sling + mud + at [someone]
mud-slinging + noun (campaign / attack)
用法筆記
Most commonly occurs in the fixed phrases 'sling/throw mud' and the compound 'mud-slinging'. The sense is almost always used in political or public-relations contexts.
常見錯誤
(as) clear as mud
idiomnot clear at all; very difficult to understand.
一點都不清楚；非常難懂
The professor's explanation was as clear as mud — I left the lecture more confused than when I arrived.
I read the instructions twice, but they were still as clear as mud.
mud sticks
idiompeople remember and believe bad things that are said about someone, even if those things are later shown to be untrue.
毀謗的話語難以洗清；人們會記住對他人的負面指控，即使後來證明是假的
Even after the politician was proven innocent, some voters still doubted him — mud sticks.
Liang knew that mud sticks, so he was careful never to spread rumours about anyone.
someone is disliked or unpopular because of something they have done wrong.
某人名聲掃地；某人因做錯事而遭人厭惡
After he lost the company's money, his name was mud around the office.
My name will be mud if I forget to pick up the children from school again.
To publicly say unfair and harmful things about someone to damage their reputation.
公開詆毀
The journalist dragged the mayor's name through the mud with false accusations.
Why would you drag your own colleague through the dirt like that?
To criticize someone or make false accusations to harm their reputation, especially in politics.
抹黑
During the debate, both candidates flung mud at each other.
The opposition party slung mud at the minister to weaken his support.
Someone is disliked or unpopular because of something they did wrong.
名聲掃地
After the scandal, the CEO's name is mud in the industry.
If you break the rules, your name will be mud around here.
mud — 動詞
- mudpresent simple I / you / we / they
- muds3rd person singular
- mudding-ing form
- muddedpast simple
1. to make a liquid or surface dirty and unclear by adding mud or stirring up sedim
弄濁
使液體或表面變得混濁
to make a liquid or surface dirty and unclear by adding mud or stirring up sediment that was settled at the bottom.
The heavy rain muddied the clear water of the small stream near the village.
豪雨把村子附近小溪的清澈水質弄得混濁不堪。
Eri's dog jumped into the pond and completely muddied the still water.
Eri 的狗跳進池塘裡，把原本平靜的水面徹底攪渾了。
pattern: [animal/person] muddies [body of water]
The construction workers muddied the new floor with their dirty boots.
建築工人滿是泥巴的靴子把新鋪的地板踩得到處是汙漬。
Walking through the field after the storm muddied their clothes and shoes.
穿過暴風雨後的田地，他們的衣服和鞋子都沾滿了泥巴。
passive context: be muddied by [something]
- muddy the water
- muddy the floor
- muddy the stream
- muddy the river
- clear
to remove dirt or sediment from a liquid
文法句型
muddy + noun (water / floor / surface)
muddy + the + noun
用法筆記
Can also be used figuratively in the common expression 'muddy the waters', which means to make a situation more confusing or less clear than it was before.
常見錯誤
2. to cover or fill a surface, such as a wall or ceiling, with a wet mixture of ear
塗泥
用泥漿塗抹牆面或縫隙
to cover or fill a surface, such as a wall or ceiling, with a wet mixture of earth and water to protect it or prepare it for finishing.
The builders mudded the walls of the barn before the cold winter arrived.
工人們在寒冬來臨前，把穀倉的牆壁塗上了一層泥。
pattern: mud [surface] for protection or preparation
Ryo showed us how to mud the cracks in the ceiling before we painted it.
Ryo 示範如何用泥把天花板上的裂縫填平，再進行油漆。
The old house had walls mudded with a traditional mixture of earth and straw.
那棟老房子的牆壁塗了一層傳統的泥土與稻草混合料。
pattern: be mudded with [material]
We need to mud the gaps between the wooden boards before the winter sets in.
我們得在冬天來臨前，把木板之間的縫隙用泥填補好。
- mud a wall
- mud a ceiling
- mud the cracks
- mud the gaps
文法句型
mud + noun (wall / ceiling / crack)
mud + noun + with + material
用法筆記
This sense is specialised and mainly used in construction and home renovation. It is distinct from the more common verb 'muddy' (sense 1).