Make Your Point > Archived Issues > MUZZLE
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pronounce
MUZZLE:
Say it "MUZZ ull."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
If you're feeling burdened, like a horse forced to bear a heavy load, you're feeling s____ed.
If you're feeling tied up, like an ox forced to plow a field, you're feeling y__ed.
And if you're feeling silenced, like a dog forced to keep its mouth closed, you're feeling muzzled.
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definition:
Our word "muzzle" probably has Latin roots that mean "little snout."
A muzzle is either an animal's nose and mouth area, or a guard for that area that stops the animal from biting, eating, or even barking.
And to muzzle an animal is to put one of these on him.
Figuratively speaking, then, a muzzle is anything that stops someone from communicating freely.
And to muzzle people is to stop them from communicating freely.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
Often a verb: "He muzzled them."
Sometimes a noun: "I feel like I'm wearing a muzzle;" "Let's put a muzzle on her."
Other forms:
muzzles; muzzled, muzzling; muzzler(s)
how to use it:
The common word "muzzle" can express your idea with a startling (and slightly violent) metaphor. To say that you're muzzled is to imply that you're being treated like a dangerous animal, or a dangerous person with dangerous information to spread.
Usually we talk about people who muzzle other people, or about threats, actions, orders, and decisions that muzzle people.
We can also talk about muzzling the things people might say or the feelings they might express: "They muzzled any dissent;" "They tried to muzzle the coverage of that scandal;" "They muzzled their anger."
Because literal muzzling is often done to dogs, we tend to stick with that canine metaphor: "Russia at present is anxious to muzzle the famine wolf" (Pall Mall Gazette).
examples:
"Kelvin knew that his advice would not be welcome, and that he might even get fired if he spoke out... So it wasn't that he was muzzled. He just decided to keep quiet."
— An unnamed lobbyist, as quoted by Jeffrey Mervis, Science, 13 October 2020
"If I were the captain I would clamp a muzzle on Engel—fairly certain she's not supposed to leak information like that."
— Elizabeth Wein, Code Name Verity, 2012
has this page helped you understand "muzzle"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "muzzle" without saying "gag" or "silence."
try it out:
In the New York Times, Jeneen Interlandi wrote that our president "muzzles credible scientists." Yikes.
When people in power muzzle credible scientists, what might be some of the disastrous outcomes? Can you think of any other people whose muzzling could cause disaster? Why, or how?
before you review, play:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
Our game for January is "Find the Missing Link."
In each chain of words, find the one that's missing from the middle. This missing link, according to a thesaurus, is a synonym of each word on its left and right. But as you'll see, the words on the left and right are most definitely not synonyms!
For example, if I give you "special → _____ → typical," then you answer, "peculiar," because sometimes "peculiar" means "special, different, odd," but other times it means "typical of this, specific to this, distinctively this."
To see the answer, scroll all the way down. Your answer might be different from mine but just as good. Enjoy!
Try this one today:
problem → _____ → fear
review this word:
A. FEAR.
B. BLIND.
C. AMPLIFY.
2. In an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer entitled "_____," a group of demons known as The Gentlemen muzzles the entire town of Sunnydale.
A. Hush
B. Holes
C. Hellfire
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
If you're feeling burdened, like a horse forced to bear a heavy load, you're feeling s____ed.
Our word "muzzle" probably has Latin roots that mean "little snout."
Part of speech:
The common word "muzzle" can express your idea with a startling (and slightly violent) metaphor. To say that you're muzzled is to imply that you're being treated like a dangerous animal, or a dangerous person with dangerous information to spread.
"Kelvin knew that his advice would not be welcome, and that he might even get fired if he spoke out... So it wasn't that he was muzzled. He just decided to keep quiet."
Explain the meaning of "muzzle" without saying "gag" or "silence."
In the New York Times, Jeneen Interlandi wrote that our president "muzzles credible scientists." Yikes.
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
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