To make something confused or messy, or to mix something up in a confused way, often making a situation worse.
From Middle Dutch 'moddelen' meaning 'to make muddy' (from 'modde' meaning 'mud'). The word evolved from describing physically muddy situations to describing confused thinking.
There's a drink called a 'muddle' where bartenders crush fruit and herbs—it shows how the word stuck in language to describe breaking things down together, just like confused thoughts all mixed up!
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