A tube-shaped covering for the hands, made of fur or fabric, used to keep hands warm; also a verb meaning to bungle or mess something up.
From Dutch 'mof' or French 'moufle.' The word entered English in the 1600s for the warming device, and developed the slang meaning 'to bungle' in the 1800s, possibly from the idea of clumsy handling.
A hand muff became fashionable in Europe partly because ladies couldn't easily carry pockets in their dresses—so this simple warming tool became a symbol of how women adapted to clothing restrictions!
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