mud

Everyday

1. Mud is wet, soft, sticky earth. tree →
2. Mud can mean things said to make someone look bad, as in "throw mud" (informal). tree →

In the lessons

In science, mud is soil mixed with water; when it dries it can harden, which is how mud bricks are made. Some animals, like pigs and hippos, roll in mud to keep cool and protect their skin. In everyday life, take off muddy boots at the door and wash hands after playing in mud. Phrases: covered in mud, stuck in the mud, as clear as mud (not clear at all), mud pie, your name is mud (you are in trouble).

Examples

• The football pitch was full of mud. tree →
• The car got stuck in the mud. tree →
• Pigs roll in mud to cool down. tree →
• Take off your muddy boots! tree →
• We made mud pies in the garden. tree →
• Your explanation is as clear as mud. tree →
• Why, there is mud all over his face and paws!’ tree →

Note

Uncountable: some mud, not "a mud". Adjective: muddy. Deep mud near rivers, beaches and marshes can trap you; stay on paths. "Stick-in-the-mud" means a person who does not like change.

In Jewish tradition

In Sefer Yetzirah it is one of the things God carved from the elements, along with clay, as raw stuff of creation.

Interpretation. The text says God carved tohu and bohu, mud and clay, from water, picturing the world shaped out of formless matter.

Examples

• And Wind is the first of them. [1:11] Three—He carved Water from Wind and with them He hewed tohu and bohu, [note 21: [Genesis 1:2]] mud and clay. (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation) tree →
• „Witli 'three' God graved and hewed out mud and clay. (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914)) tree →
• § 20 Three — He graved and hewed out of them mud and chiy. (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914)) tree →

Note

Uncountable: some mud, not "a mud". Adjective: muddy. Deep mud near rivers, beaches and marshes can trap you; stay on paths. "Stick-in-the-mud" means a person who does not like change.