mush

Everyday

1. A soft, wet, squashed mass of something, like overcooked food. tree →
2. (informal) Silly, soppy talk or writing about love. tree →
3. (interjection) A shout telling sled dogs to start or go faster; (verb) to travel with a dog sled. tree →
4. (UK slang, old-fashioned) A way of calling a man, like "mate"; also slang for a person's face or mouth, as in "Shut your mush". tree →

In the lessons

Everyday: food turned to mush, brain turning to mush when tired. In stories about the Arctic, Alaska and Canada, "Mush!" sends the dogs running (the Iditarod race). In UK talk, "Oi, mush!" is a rough way to address a man. Phrases: "turn to mush", "my brain is mush".

Examples

• The peas were boiled so long they turned to mush. tree →
• After the exam my brain felt like mush. tree →
• The banana at the bottom of my bag was mush. tree →
• "Mush!" shouted the musher, and the huskies ran. tree →
• They mushed across the snow for three days. tree →
• The film was all romantic mush. tree →
• "Oi, mush, you dropped your wallet!" (UK slang) tree →

Note

Mostly uncountable. Adjective: "mushy" (mushy peas are a British side dish). A "musher" drives a dog sled. The slang "mush" for a man or a face is old-fashioned and a bit rough.