Name is Mud

name is mud ( idiom)/neɪm ɪz mʌd/

Meaning

• Reputation is tarnished: When someone's name is associated with something negative, their reputation suffers.
• Public disfavor: Having one's name linked to an undesirable event or action can lead to public disapproval.
• Loss of respect: If a person's name becomes mud, it indicates a significant loss of respect or esteem from others.
• Association with disgrace: The phrase suggests that a person's name is connected to disgrace or dishonor.
• Subject to criticism: When someone's name is mud, they are often the target of criticism or blame.

Example Sentences

1. Once the news spread about my mistake, my name was mud among my coworkers.
2. After the scandal, his name was mud in the community.
3. She realized her name was mud at work after missing the important meeting.
4. If you don't submit the report on time, your name will be mud with the boss.
5. His name was mud among his friends after he betrayed their trust.
6. If you don't apologize to her, your name is mud in this household.
7. The politician's name was mud following the corruption allegations.
8. After the failed project, the team's name was mud with the clients.
9. Forgetting our anniversary means my name is mud with my partner right now.
10. After I accidentally broke the vase, my name was mud with my mom for the rest of the week.
11. If you keep hanging out with the local goons then soon your name will be mud too.
12. To go to a party with such people and at such an hour can put a young girls name in mud.
13. A child should endeavor to make his parents proud and not put their names in mud.

Origin and History

Association with Dr. Samuel Mudd

One popular theory links the phrase to Dr. Samuel Mudd, a 19th-century American physician who treated John Wilkes Booth after he assassinated President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. Dr. Mudd was subsequently arrested and imprisoned as a co-conspirator, leading to the belief that his name became synonymous with disgrace. However, this connection is largely coincidental, as the phrase was documented before these events.

Early 19th-Century British Slang

The expression "your name is mud" predates Dr. Mudd's involvement in Lincoln's assassination. It first appeared in print in 1823 in John Badcock's "Slang: A Dictionary of the Turf," where 'mud' was defined as "a stupid twaddling fellow." This suggests that the term was used to describe someone foolish or contemptible.

Metaphorical Interpretation

Another perspective considers the literal qualities of mud-dirty, lowly, and undesirable-as a metaphor for a sullied reputation. In this view, to say someone's name is mud implies that their reputation is as soiled and worthless as mud itself. This interpretation aligns with the general use of 'mud' to denote something or someone held in low regard.

Synonym