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muck about

English translation: play with / disturb / upset / mess with

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:muck about
Selected answer:play with / disturb / upset / mess with
Entered by: Tony M

23:29 Apr 3, 2020
English language (monolingual) [Non-PRO]
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters / muck about
English term or phrase: muck about
Babies of 9 and 10 months are working out exactly what affected the people around in order to muck about with other people's expectations. They try to make us laugh, playfully provoke us, and tease us.

experimenter saying that babies of the indicated age above could tease us and do things unlike our expectations. What we can use instead of "muck about" here, or what is stands for?

Thanks in advance,
S.J
Canada
Local time: 23:57
play with / disturb / upset
Explanation:
In this specific context, I'd say these are the sort of ideas being conveyed here: they are suggesting that even at this young age, babies are capable of deliberately behaving in a certain way, in order 'surprise' us — in other words, 'mess with' our expectations by doing something we are not expecting.
I hope this helps you understand.
I have to say that personally, I wouldn't naturally have used this very informal term in this sort of context — but the meaning is perfectly clear.
Selected response from:

Tony M
France
Local time: 05:57
Grading comment
Thank you so much.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
5 +6play with / disturb / upset
Tony M
5behave in a silly way, cause trouble
Abdullah Ahmad
5 -1spoil/ alter
adel almergawy


  

Answers


30 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
behave in a silly way, cause trouble


Explanation:
muck somebody about/around to cause trouble for someone, especially by changing your mind a lot or not doing what you promised to do

Example sentence(s):
  • Not all managers want their employees mucking around with decisions.
  • To McDonough, a stubby 280-pounder, the charm of elective office was not mucking about with papers and figures.

    Reference: http://https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/muck-about-aro...
Abdullah Ahmad
Egypt
Local time: 05:57
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in ArabicArabic

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Yvonne Gallagher: it's a baby!!
13 hrs
  -> Just notice the context: mentioned working out, provoke us and tease us why not we use cause trouble or behave in a silly way
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

35 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +6
play with / disturb / upset


Explanation:
In this specific context, I'd say these are the sort of ideas being conveyed here: they are suggesting that even at this young age, babies are capable of deliberately behaving in a certain way, in order 'surprise' us — in other words, 'mess with' our expectations by doing something we are not expecting.
I hope this helps you understand.
I have to say that personally, I wouldn't naturally have used this very informal term in this sort of context — but the meaning is perfectly clear.

Tony M
France
Local time: 05:57
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 309
Grading comment
Thank you so much.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  philgoddard
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Phil!
agree  Charlotte Fleming
7 hrs
  -> Thanks, Charlotte!
agree  Yvonne Gallagher: play with our expectations / surprise us // I don't know why people can't read context...
12 hrs
  -> Thanks, Yvonne!
agree  Tina Vonhof (X): 'Muck about' is not an appropriate word in a scientific text.
14 hrs
  -> Thanks, Tina!
agree  Lydia De Jorge: Totally agree.
21 hrs
  -> Thanks, Lydia!
agree  Mark Robertson
22 hrs
  -> Thanks, Mark!
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

6 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): -1
spoil/ alter


Explanation:
shock / alter

Example sentence(s):
  • spoil and alter
adel almergawy
Egypt
Local time: 05:57
Native speaker of: Native in ArabicArabic

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Yvonne Gallagher: 100% wrong. Nothing to do with spoiling or altering...
7 hrs
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