| Roget’s II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition. 1995. |
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mess |
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| NOUN: | 1. A ruinous state of disorder: botch, foul-up, muddle, shambles. Informal : hash. Slang : screwup, snafu. See CORRECT, ORDER. 2. A lack of order or regular arrangement: chaos, clutter, confusedness, confusion, derangement, disarrangement, disarray, disorder, disorderedness, disorderliness, disorganization, jumble, mix-up, muddle, muss, scramble, topsy-turviness, tumble. Slang : snafu. See ORDER. 3. A group of things gathered haphazardly: agglomeration, bank1, cumulus, drift, heap, hill, mass, mound, mountain, pile, shock2, stack, tumble. See ORDER. 4. An unsightly object: monstrosity, ugliness. Informal : fright, sight, ugly. See BEAUTIFUL. 5. An individual quantity of food: helping, portion, serving. See INGESTION. | | VERB: | 1. To handle something idly, ignorantly, or destructively: fiddle, fool, meddle, tamper, tinker. Informal : monkey. See HELP, TOUCH. 2. To put (the hair or clothes) into a state of disarray. Also used with up: disarrange, dishevel, disorder, muss (up), rumple, tousle. See ORDER. | | PHRASAL VERB: | mess around Informal. To be nervously or uselessly active: bustle, fuss, putter. See ACTION, CALM. mess around 1. Informal. To waste time by engaging in aimless activity: doodle, fool, putter. Informal : fool around. See THRIVE. 2. Informal. To be sexually unfaithful to another: philander, womanize. Informal : cheat, fool around, play around. See SEX. mess up 1. To harm irreparably through inept handling; make a mess: ball up, blunder, boggle, botch, bungle, foul up, fumble, gum up, mishandle, mismanage, muddle, muff, spoil. Informal : bollix up, muck up. Slang : blow1, goof up, louse up, screw up, snafu. Idioms: make a muck of. See CORRECT, HELP. 2. To put into total disorder: ball up, confuse, disorder, jumble, muddle, scramble, snarl2. Slang : snafu. Idioms: play havoc with. See ORDER. 3. To put out of proper order: derange, disarrange, disarray, disorder, disorganize, disrupt, disturb, jumble, mix up, muddle, tumble, unsettle, upset. See ORDER. 4. Slang. To be rough or brutal with: knock about or (around), manhandle, rough (up), slap around. See ATTACK, STRIKE.
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| Roget’s II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition. Copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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