mix-up

[miks-uhp]

noun

1. a confused state of things; muddle; tangle.

2. a fight.

mix-up

noun

1. a confused condition or situation

2. informal,  a fight

verb

1. to make into a mixture

   to mix up ingredients

2. to confuse or confound

   Tom mixes John up with Bill

3. (often passive) to put (someone) into a state of confusion

   I'm all mixed up

4. to involve (in an activity or group, esp one that is illegal)

   why did you get mixed up in that drugs racket?

5. informal,  to fight

Word History and Origins

Origin of mix-up¹

First recorded in 1835–45; noun use of verb phrase mix up

Idioms and Phrases

Confuse, confound, as in His explanation just mixed me up even more , or I always mix up the twins . [c. 1800]

Involve or implicate. This usage is usually put in the passive, as in He got mixed up with the wrong crowd . [Mid-1800s]

Example Sentences

The mix-up came about after a packaging supplier mistakenly shipped empty Celsius cans to the vodka seltzer company High Noon, which filled them with alcohol.

From BBC

Their son Miten said the mix-up was "obviously very upsetting," even though he acknowledged that mistakes happen.

From BBC

It is unclear what caused the caller’s zoological mix-up.

From Los Angeles Times

A woman who was wrongly accused of shoplifting toilet roll due to an apparent mix-up with a facial recognition system was left "fuming" after being ejected from two Home Bargains stores.

From BBC

In April, for example, a 28-year-old Welsh tourist was held for 19 days in an ICE processing centre in Washington state after being denied entry to Canada over what she later termed a "visa mix-up".

From BBC