"clear as mud" meaning in English

See clear as mud in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Adjective

Audio: En-au-clear as mud.ogg
Etymology: Blend of clear as day + mud. Compare muddy (“unclear, blurry”). Etymology templates: {{blend|en|clear as day|mud}} Blend of clear as day + mud Head templates: {{en-adj|-}} clear as mud (not comparable)
  1. (simile, sarcastic) Unclear; difficult or impossible to understand or interpret. Tags: not-comparable, sarcastic Translations (unclear): samea (Finnish), läpinäkymätön (Finnish), világos, mint a vakablak (Hungarian), se füle, se farka (Hungarian), mętny (Polish), zagmatwany (Polish), klart som lervälling (Swedish)
{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "clear as day",
        "3": "mud"
      },
      "expansion": "Blend of clear as day + mud",
      "name": "blend"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Blend of clear as day + mud. Compare muddy (“unclear, blurry”).",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "clear as mud (not comparable)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "antonyms": [
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "apparent"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "arrant"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "undoubted"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "glaring"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "tags": [
            "Multicultural-London-English"
          ],
          "word": "bait"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "blatant"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "clear"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "clear as a bell"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "clear as day"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "tags": [
            "idiomatic"
          ],
          "word": "clear cut"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "crystal clear"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "tags": [
            "idiomatic"
          ],
          "word": "cut and dried"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "decided"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "tags": [
            "obsolete"
          ],
          "word": "elucidate"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "evident"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "tags": [
            "archaic"
          ],
          "word": "eyely"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "intuitive"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "manifest"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "tags": [
            "dated"
          ],
          "word": "notable"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "noticeable"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "obvious"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "open-and-shut"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "ostensible"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "palpable"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "patent"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "plain"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "plain as a haystack"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "plain as a pikestaff"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "plain as day"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "plain as Dunstable highway"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "plain as porridge"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "plain as print"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "plain as Salisbury"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "plain as the nose on one's face"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "prima facie"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "res ipsa loquitur"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "straightforward"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "undissembled"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English blends",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English oxymorons",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English similes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Hungarian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Polish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Swedish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Unclear; difficult or impossible to understand or interpret."
      ],
      "id": "en-clear_as_mud-en-adj-pL-RQrv5",
      "links": [
        [
          "sarcastic",
          "sarcastic"
        ],
        [
          "Unclear",
          "unclear"
        ],
        [
          "difficult",
          "difficult"
        ],
        [
          "impossible",
          "impossible"
        ],
        [
          "understand",
          "understand"
        ],
        [
          "interpret",
          "interpret"
        ]
      ],
      "qualifier": "simile",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(simile, sarcastic) Unclear; difficult or impossible to understand or interpret."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable",
        "sarcastic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "lang_code": "fi",
          "sense": "unclear",
          "word": "samea"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "lang_code": "fi",
          "sense": "unclear",
          "word": "läpinäkymätön"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "lang_code": "hu",
          "sense": "unclear",
          "word": "világos, mint a vakablak"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "lang_code": "hu",
          "sense": "unclear",
          "word": "se füle, se farka"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "unclear",
          "word": "mętny"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "unclear",
          "word": "zagmatwany"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "lang_code": "sv",
          "sense": "unclear",
          "word": "klart som lervälling"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-clear as mud.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/fc/En-au-clear_as_mud.ogg/En-au-clear_as_mud.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/En-au-clear_as_mud.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "clear as mud"
}
{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "clear as day",
        "3": "mud"
      },
      "expansion": "Blend of clear as day + mud",
      "name": "blend"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Blend of clear as day + mud. Compare muddy (“unclear, blurry”).",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "clear as mud (not comparable)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "antonyms": [
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "apparent"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "arrant"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "undoubted"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "glaring"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "tags": [
            "Multicultural-London-English"
          ],
          "word": "bait"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "blatant"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "clear"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "clear as a bell"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "clear as day"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "tags": [
            "idiomatic"
          ],
          "word": "clear cut"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "crystal clear"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "tags": [
            "idiomatic"
          ],
          "word": "cut and dried"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "decided"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "tags": [
            "obsolete"
          ],
          "word": "elucidate"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "evident"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "tags": [
            "archaic"
          ],
          "word": "eyely"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "intuitive"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "manifest"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "tags": [
            "dated"
          ],
          "word": "notable"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "noticeable"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "obvious"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "open-and-shut"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "ostensible"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "palpable"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "patent"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "plain"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "plain as a haystack"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "plain as a pikestaff"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "plain as day"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "plain as Dunstable highway"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "plain as porridge"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "plain as print"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "plain as Salisbury"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "plain as the nose on one's face"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "prima facie"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "res ipsa loquitur"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "straightforward"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:obvious",
          "word": "undissembled"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        "English adjectives",
        "English blends",
        "English compound terms",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English oxymorons",
        "English sarcastic terms",
        "English similes",
        "English uncomparable adjectives",
        "Entries with translation boxes",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Terms with Finnish translations",
        "Terms with Hungarian translations",
        "Terms with Polish translations",
        "Terms with Swedish translations"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Unclear; difficult or impossible to understand or interpret."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "sarcastic",
          "sarcastic"
        ],
        [
          "Unclear",
          "unclear"
        ],
        [
          "difficult",
          "difficult"
        ],
        [
          "impossible",
          "impossible"
        ],
        [
          "understand",
          "understand"
        ],
        [
          "interpret",
          "interpret"
        ]
      ],
      "qualifier": "simile",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(simile, sarcastic) Unclear; difficult or impossible to understand or interpret."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable",
        "sarcastic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-clear as mud.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/fc/En-au-clear_as_mud.ogg/En-au-clear_as_mud.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/En-au-clear_as_mud.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "lang_code": "fi",
      "sense": "unclear",
      "word": "samea"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "lang_code": "fi",
      "sense": "unclear",
      "word": "läpinäkymätön"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "lang_code": "hu",
      "sense": "unclear",
      "word": "világos, mint a vakablak"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "lang_code": "hu",
      "sense": "unclear",
      "word": "se füle, se farka"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "unclear",
      "word": "mętny"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "unclear",
      "word": "zagmatwany"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "lang_code": "sv",
      "sense": "unclear",
      "word": "klart som lervälling"
    }
  ],
  "word": "clear as mud"
}

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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-12-23 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-12-02 using wiktextract (6fdc867 and 9905b1f). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.