More about hugger-mugger
- First recorded in 1520–30.
- An earlier form was hucker-mucker, a rhyming compound based on mucker.
- Mucker comes from the Middle English word mokeren, “to hoard.”
- Hugger-mugger can be a noun and verb, too.
EXAMPLES OF HUGGER-MUGGER
- The spy communicated with her handler in a hugger-mugger manner to avoid detection.
- The meeting was very hugger-mugger, with everyone whispering and looking over their shoulders.