muddy the waters | Idiomator

Meaning: (idiomatic)To make somethingunclearanddifficulttounderstand.Alternative form:muddy the water2004March 12, Giles Tremlett, “The clues that point towards al-Qaida”, inThe Guardian‎[1],→ISSN:He insisted that the Basque separatist group Eta remained the main line of investigation, and suggested the tape may have been an attempt tomuddy the waters.2018November 4, John Crace, “Marr founders on the Rocks of Arron Banks's muddy waters”, inThe Guardian‎[2],→ISSN:“Thank you for having me on,” Banks began. The one statement he made that sounded genuinely credible. It’s not often that someone accused of electoral fraud gets tomuddy the waterson live television ahead of a possible criminal investigation.2025July 9, David Stubbings, “Network News: Open access row: DfT accused of "strong-arm tactics"”, inRAIL, number1039, page 6:"Some applications will fail. ORR does not need strong-arm tactics from DfTmuddying the waters."

Examples:

EN: It's just... it's just philosophers who muddy the waters.
ES: Son... Son los filósofos los que enredan la madeja.
EN: Well, the fact that I once bought a couple of dogs from Cody and sold them at an obscene profit is of no relevance to the police inquiry, so why muddy the waters?
ES: Exacto, por eso es que es más simple negar el conocerlo.
EN: They can muddy the waters enough so jurors feel OK voting not guilty.
ES: Lo confundirán todo para que el jurado se sienta mejor votando "inocente".
EN: We're starting up some sex abuse rumours about the father and the child just to deflect the heat, muddy the waters.
ES: Y le agregamos rumores sobre incesto, del padre con el niño. Funciona siempre.
EN: To muddy the waters?
ES: ¿Para enturbiar las aguas?
EN: - I don't want to muddy the waters with whatever issues you and Ephram have with one another.
ES: ¿Discúlpame? No quisiera meterme en las cosas entre tú y Ephram.
EN: Admittedly the flip side is that sometimes I have to muddy the waters a little.
ES: Es cierto que la otra cara es que a veces, tengo que enturbiar las aguas un poco.
EN: He knew it would help them muddy the waters when Anne mentioned it at the inquest.
ES: Sabía que ayudaría a enredar las cosas cuando la Sra. Protheroe lo mencionara en el interrogatorio.
EN: Oh, Mr Fagin, let's not muddy the waters with reasons and motives.
ES: Señor Fagin, no enlodemos las aguas con razones y motivos.
ES: Sr. Fagin, no enlode el agua con razones y motivos.
EN: You are not going to muddy the waters this time.
ES: No enturbiarás las aguas esta vez.
EN: To muddy the waters still further, the Allied military created a fictitious army unit, the so-called First U.S. Army Group or FUSAG.
ES: Para enturbiar todavía más las aguas, el mando militar aliado creó una unidad ficticia, el Primer Grupo del Ejército de los EE. UU., o FUSAG.
EN: Just enough to muddy the waters.
ES: Sólo la suficiente para enturbiar las aguas.
EN: - See if I can muddy the waters a little bit.
ES: - Iré a revolver el río.
EN: I tried to tell the Detective Super, but she said they were 100% it was Flannery and I wasn't to muddy the waters.
ES: Traté de decirle al Detective Super, pero él dijo que estaban al 100% que era Flannery y que yo no iba a embarrar las aguas. ¿Qué?
EN: ..and you didn't want to "muddy the waters".
ES: - ... Y ud. no quiso "embarrar las aguas"

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