# hugger-mugger

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈhʌɡ.əˌmʌɡ.ə/

## Definitions
1. Secret, clandestine, sly.
2. Disorderly, chaotic, confused.

## 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”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/hugger-mugger