It’s as clear as mud!

IT’S AS CLEAR AS MUD! 

Words and expressions that mean

‘difficult to understand’

By Kate Woodford

ABOUT WORDS

A blog from

Cambridge Dictionary

Sep. 25, 2024

urbazon / E+

I recently heard a journalist complaining that she didn’t understand the government’s position on a particular issue. It was, she said, as clear as mud, meaning, of course, that it was not at all clear! This humorous idiom made me think about the various ways in which we say that something is difficult or impossible to understand. Today’s post, including both single words and idioms, is the result.
Starting with single words, the adjectives incomprehensible, impenetrable, and obscure mean ‘impossible or very difficult to understand’. They often refer to difficult language:

• Legal jargon had made the document more or less incomprehensible.
• He was known for his impenetrable lyrics.
• She has a fondness for answering questions with obscure quotes.

The slightly formal adjective unfathomable also means ‘impossible to understand’ and often goes before the noun ‘reason’:

• For some unfathomable reason, he keeps the scissors on top of this cupboard.

Meanwhile, something that is inaccessible is difficult to understand and is therefore not done or enjoyed by many people. This adjective is used, for example, of certain types of music or writing:

• Too often, poetry is regarded as something difficult and inaccessible.

Moving into a slightly different area, some things are only understood by a small number of people with special knowledge. For these, we might use the adjectives arcane or esoteric, meaning ‘mysterious and not generally understood’:

• There are various arcane rituals associated with the ceremony.
• She started to learn about the group’s esoteric teachings.

Let’s turn now to idioms and phrases in this area. If a joke or remark is lost on someone, they do not understand it. Similarly, if something that someone says goes over your head, it is too difficult to understand:

• The subtleties of the argument were probably lost on them.
• Her presentation was interesting, but parts of it went over my head.

If you can’t make head nor/or tail of something (US, (not) make heads or tails of something), it makes no sense to you at all:

• I can’t make head nor tail of these instructions.
• We couldn’t make heads or tails of the directions he gave us.

More informally, you might convey that you do not understand something complicated by saying you can’t get your head around it:

• I’m looking at the forms now, and I really can’t get my head around them.

Finally, if the reasons for something are beyond you, they are impossible for you to understand:

• Why he would choose to leave his children is beyond me.

I hope you have enjoyed this post, and that you don’t complain that you can’t make head or tail of it!

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Adapted from: https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/09/25/its-as-clear-as-mud-difficult-to-understand/. Accessed on October 10, 2024. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2024. All rights reserved.