How do you pronounce hugger-mugger?

The recorded pronunciation is /ˈhʌɡ.ɚˌmʌɡ.ɚ/.

hugger-mugger

/ˈhʌɡ.ɚˌmʌɡ.ɚ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 2.18 in modern English

Syllables: hug-ger--mug-ger
IPA: /ˈhʌɡ.ɚˌmʌɡ.ɚ/

Scrabble Score

Letters

Syllables

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Secret, clandestine, sly.

adj

Disorderly, chaotic, confused.

noun

Secrecy.

Archaic; Uncountable

noun

Disorder.

Uncountable

adv

Secretly.

adv

Confusedly, in a muddle.

verb

To meet or act secretly.

Example Sentences

"hugger-mugger doings"
"So Brad McLaughlin mingled reckless talk Of heavenly stars with hugger-mugger farming, Till having failed at hugger-mugger farming, He burned his house down for the fire insurance And spent the proceeds on a telescope […]"
"There were densely tenanted houses on the main road, pigsties hugger-mugger with people, fireplace ashes thrown out at night."
"[…]; and we haue done but greenly In hugger mugger to interre him."
"Many things have been done in Hugger mugger in our Age, prophane perſons conceited that their privacy protected them from divine inſpection."
"As we passed through the quadrangle the church was glowing more brightly than a pearl, like a lily in strong sunlight, in spite of all the scaffolding and hugger-mugger."

Etymology

Unknown; perhaps from Anglo-Irish cuggermugger (“a whispering, a low-voiced gossiping”), from Irish cogar (“whisper”). Compare also Scots hudge-mudge, hody-moke, Swedish mjugg (“stealth, secrecy”).

Origin

Source language: Irish

Word Breakdown

Root: cogar

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈhʌɡ.ɚˌmʌɡ.ɚ/
British English: /ˈhʌɡ.əˌmʌɡ.ə/

Usage

Inflected Forms

more hugger-mugger (comparative) most hugger-mugger (superlative) huggermugger (alternative) hucker-mucker (alternative, obsolete) hoker-moker (alternative, obsolete) hugger-muggers (present, singular) hugger-muggering (participle, present) hugger-muggered (participle, past) hugger-muggered (past)

Phrases

hugger-muggery hudder-mudder

Frequently Paired Words

hudder-mudder

Synonyms

abstruse behind the scenes catlike backroom backstairs stealth clandestine cloak-and-dagger concealed confidential covert deep-laid