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A mistake or confusion
- 'Mix up' is an English idiom. It means 'a mistake or confusion, particularly in identifying people or things.'
If you mix up two things or people, you confuse them, so that you think that one of them is the other one. 2. If you mix up a number of things, you put things of different kinds together or place things so that they are not in order.
- Spoonerism
- Malapropism
- Other Ways We Play with English Words
A ‘spoonerism’ is when a speaker accidentally mixes up the initial sounds or letters of two words in a phrase. The result is usually humorous.
A ‘malapropism’ is when an incorrect word is used in a sentence that sounds like the correct word but means something completely different.
Blends
One of the easiest ways to get words mixed up is to think of one word while trying to say another. This is how blends end up happening. These mistakes happen regularly in all languages and are usually easy to notice. One famous example in pop culture is from the 2004 film Mean Girls, where the main character Cady gets nervous and accidentally creates the word grool.
Portmanteaus
Sometimes, though, these blends are intentional and become official words of their own. These new words are called portmanteaus and are quite common in English. Don’t believe me? Well, think about the last time you listened to a podcast (iPod + broadcast), breathed in smog (smoke + fog), on met friends for brunch (breakfast + lunch). A relatively new blended word is for a type of food from Louisiana that has increased in popularity in recent years, especially around American Thanksgiving. Do...
If you mix up two things or people, you confuse them, so that you think that one of them is the other one. 2. If you mix up a number of things, you put things of different kinds together or place things so that they are not in order.
If you mix up a number of things, you put things of different kinds together or place things so that they are not in order. I like to mix up designer clothes. [ VERB PARTICLE noun ]
At its core, “mix up” refers to a situation where things become jumbled or confused. However, there are many different scenarios in which this can occur. For example: If you accidentally switch two people’s names when introducing them, you have mixed them up.
to fail to recognize two people or things correctly by thinking that one person or thing is the other person or thing: People often mix us up because we look so similar. I think you're mixing me up with my sister. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Confusion, confusing and feeling confused.
People also ask
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Why do we still use the idiom “mix up”?
Nov 13, 2019 · If you are mixed up about something, it means that you are confused. “Whenever we change the clocks for daylight savings time, I get mixed up and can’t figure out what time it is.” “I’m a little mixed up. Is our meeting on Thursday or Friday?” Mixed up can also mean to think that one person or thing is another person or thing.
