hodgepodge
UK /ˈhɒd͡ʒˌpɒd͡ʒ/ · US /ˈhɑd͡ʒˌpɑd͡ʒ/ noun, verb
Forms hodgepodges hodgepodging hodgepodged hodge-podge hotchpotch
- noun A collection containing a variety of miscellaneous things. “His latest sculpture is a hodgepodge of kitchen clutter and scrap glued together.”
- noun A confused mass of ingredients shaken or mixed together in the same pot.
- verb (ambitransitive) To move or position in an erratic, disorganized manner.
Synonyms
farrago melange mishmash bouillabaisse bric-a-brac catch-all clamjamfrey cocktail rummage salad anthology gallery gatherum congeries crazyquilt disjecta membra galimatias gallimaufry grab bag horse and rabbit stew odds and ends oddments ragbag mingle-mangle hotchpotch omnium-gatherum patchwork jumble
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”).
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “hodgepodge”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details