As Clear As Mud

What was said? “Clear as mud!”

Did someone really say that? Yes, in response to a presentation a coworker gave on “how to strategize and win the game of ‘settlers of Catan.’”

What does it mean?   It means difficult to see or understand, and is typically used sarcastically referring to something that is anything but “clear as mud!”

Origin: The expression is most often referred to as “as clear as mud” and is more like a simile. It can be taken very literally – clear as mud … as in not clear at all, murky, clouded. This expression’s origins are from the early 19^th century appearing in the 1805 Rhymes by Octavius Gilchrist. The words “as mud” were used as an intensifier in a humorous verse that follows:

And proves by argument (d’ye see)

‘Tis clear as mud – that A’s not B

Noteworthy research: Separately, a shorter phrase “as mud” was used even earlier (as early as 1763), but not quite sure it means the same thing! The exact opposite expression that can be used is “clear as day.”

Sources

• https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/as%20clear%20as%20mud
• https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/clear+as+mud#:~:text=Murky%2C%20obscure%2C%20anything%20but%20clear,and%20is%20still%20frequently%20heard.