Some fixed expressions appear due to the rituals of certain people, carried out to achieve some goals. Someone has to muddy the waters in the truest sense of these words. After that, the same expression appears, but in an allegorical sense.
This article is devoted to the idiom "to muddy the waters". We will interpret it and tell you how it appeared in our vocabulary.
Meaning of set phrase
To interpret the expression, let's turn to a large phraseological dictionary edited by Rose T. V. The compiler of this publication gives the following meaning of the stable phrase we are considering: "confuse, mislead." This is the definition of the expression "to muddy the waters." Phraseologism means a bad thing, therefore it has a disapproving color. They are characterized by "muddy" people who benefit from cunning, deceit, confusing others, achieve their own selfish goals.
Amazing and at the same time simple story of the origin of this expression. Let's take a look at it.
Origin story
What fishermen didn't come up with for more fishing luck! Once upon a time, in the good old days, the following ritual was practiced before catching. The water where they fished was muddied. This was donenot by chance. The fishermen believed that in this way the fish would not see the nets and would fall into them. Such was the fishing ingenuity, cunning. Whether this method really worked is anyone's guess.
Gradually, the expression "to muddy the waters" began to take on a different, negative meaning. Perhaps this is due to one fable of the ancient Greek poet Aesop. It told how a fisherman deliberately muddied the water to annoy his neighbor. Since then, the expression we are considering characterizes people who achieve their goals in a dishonest way, by confusing others, hiding some important points, lying.
Using an expression
This idiom is often used in both literary and colloquial speech. Writers like to characterize "muddy" heroes with this expression. It can be found in the media.
It is in journalism that the expression "muddy water" is most often used. In particular, in publications devoted to politics, banking, fraud, this phraseological unit is an excellent tool for describing unclean deeds and conveying the mood of those dissatisfied with this state of affairs. It is used when calling to stop deceiving others, to bring evil to people for personal gain.
