hodgepodge

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a motley assortment of things
  2. noun a theory or argument made up of miscellaneous or incongruous ideas

Etymology

From Middle English hochepoche, a variation of hochepot, from Old French hochepot, from Middle Dutch hutspot (“beef or mutton cut into small pieces and mixed and boiled together in a pot”), from hotsen, hutsen (“to shake; jog; jolt”) + pot (“pot”), equivalent to hotch + pot. Compare German Low German Hüttspott (“hodgepodge”).

In classic literature

Synonyms

odds and ends, oddments, melange, farrago, ragbag, mishmash, mingle-mangle, hotchpotch, gallimaufry, omnium-gatherum

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