hugger-mugger
adjective
[ ˈhʌɡəmʌɡə ]
• confused; disorderly.
• "a spirit of careless frivolity where all was hugger-mugger"
Similar:
disorderly,
confused,
disorganized,
chaotic,
muddled,
haphazard,
in a mess,
in a shambles,
in disarray,
topsy-turvy,
at sixes and sevens,
higgledy-piggledy,
shambolic,
• secret; clandestine.
• "there was no longer the hugger-mugger anecdote, or any juicy elbow-gripping gossip"
Similar:
clandestine,
secret,
covert,
furtive,
cloak-and-dagger,
hole-in-the-corner,
behind-the-scenes,
under-the-table,
sneaky,
sly,
underhand,
undercover,
underground,
black,
hush-hush,
hugger-mugger
noun
• disorder or confusion.
• "the vast hugger-mugger of alleys"
• secrecy or secretive behaviour.
• "he declared war on hugger-mugger and conspiracy, clandestine deals sealed in back rooms"
Origin:
early 16th century (in hugger-mugger (sense 2 of the noun)): probably related to huddle and to dialect mucker ‘hoard money, conceal’. This is one of a number of similar formations from late Middle English to the 16th century, including hucker-mucker and hudder-mudder, with the basic sense ‘secrecy, concealment’.
