muddler

American  

[muhd-ler] / ˈmʌd lər /

noun

1. a swizzle stick with an enlarged tip for stirring drinks, crushing fruit or sugar, etc.

2. a person who muddles or muddles through.

3. a miller's thumb.

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muddler British  

/ ˈmʌdlə /

noun

1. a person who muddles or muddles through

2. an instrument for mixing drinks thoroughly

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Etymology

Origin of muddler

First recorded in 1850–55; muddle + -er ¹

Example Sentences

Drop the other caperberry at the bottom of a cocktail shaker and crush it with a muddler, so that it’s torn open and the inner seeds are well exposed.

From Washington Post • Mar. 23, 2023

Use a spatula to mix thoroughly, doing some extra crunching with the muddler if you need to.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 21, 2017

"Of course he's a bad painter," says Clark, when I suggest that some critics consider Lowry to be more muddler than stylist.

From The Guardian • Jun. 8, 2013

Finally his prose is etched with a toothpick, not a muddler.

From New York Times • Dec. 11, 2012

Dick has been a shocking muddler in his affairs—as bad as his father, without his father’s excuse.

From The Scarlet Feather by Grefé, Will