jɔːr neɪm ɪz mʌd
General
informal
intermediate
- Literally:
- Your name is worthless dirt
What does "your name is mud" mean?
- Your reputation is ruined
- You're in serious trouble or disgrace
Examples
- After that scandal, his name is mud.
- If you don't deliver, your name will be mud.
- Her name was mud after she betrayed her colleagues.
Origin
Possibly from Dr. Samuel Mudd who treated John Wilkes Booth after Lincoln's assassination. Or simply 'mud' as something dirty and worthless.
How to use it
Strong expression of reputational damage. Often a warning about consequences.
Similar expressions
reputation ruined
in disgrace
discredited
damaged reputation
Opposites
respected
admired
in good standing
Related idioms
- actions speak louder than words
What people do is more important than what they say
- better safe than sorry
It's better to be careful and prevent problems than to take risks
- so far so good
Things have gone well up to now
- easier said than done
Something is more difficult to do than to talk about
- make a long story short
To summarize or get to the point
- to make matters worse
In addition to existing problems
Use it in a practice answer
Try "your name is mud" in a CELPIP-style Speaking or Writing task. The AI feedback tells you whether your word choice worked.