Meaning & use
hodgepodge
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Meanings
nouncountableinformal
A messy collection of different things with no clear plan or order.
Grammar: Usually singular with 'a'; you can say 'a hodgepodge of' but the plural 'hodgepodges' is rare.
Patterns
- a hodgepodge of something
- a hodgepodge of things
- a real hodgepodge
The shed was a hodgepodge of old tools, broken chairs and paint cans.
Her essay was a hodgepodge of ideas that never quite fitted together.
We spent the weekend sorting through a hodgepodge of papers in the attic.
nouncountable or uncountableinformal
A dish made by mixing whatever ingredients happen to be available.
Grammar: Used for food, it can be countable ('a hodgepodge') or uncountable ('hodgepodge for dinner').
Patterns
- make a hodgepodge
- a hodgepodge of vegetables
For supper he made a hodgepodge of leftover rice, beans and cheese.
The stew was a hodgepodge of whatever the farmers had that week.
Word forms
| plural | hodgepodges |
|---|
Common combinations
- a hodgepodge of styles
- The new building is a hodgepodge of styles, with glass next to brick.
- a hodgepodge of ideas
- The report reads like a hodgepodge of ideas copied from different teams.
- a hodgepodge of languages
- In the market you hear a hodgepodge of languages from every direction.
- a real hodgepodge
- The timetable was a real hodgepodge after the snow closed the roads.
- a hodgepodge of old and new
- Their furniture is a hodgepodge of old and new pieces.
Synonyms and how they differ
- mixture
- The most general word; it does not suggest that the mix is messy, so it is safer in formal writing.
- jumble
- Close in meaning, but it stresses that things are untidily mixed together rather than just varied.
- assortment
- Neutral and often positive; it suggests a pleasing range of things, not a lack of order.
- medley
- Used mostly for music or food and usually carries a positive, arranged feel.
Opposites
Word family
- hodgepodge noun
- The only common form; there is no verb or adjective in everyday use.
Commonly confused: hodgepodge or hotchpotch? hodgepodge or mishmash?
hodgepodge vs hotchpotch
This is the usual British word for the same idea; American English prefers 'hodgepodge'.
hodgepodge vs mishmash
Very similar, but 'mishmash' sounds more critical and is used mostly for ideas or writing rather than objects.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'hodgepodge' most naturally?
Choose one answer.
'Hodgepodge' is a noun for a messy mix, so it fits after 'a' in sentence A. B and D wrongly use it as a verb, and C wrongly uses it as an adjective.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hodgepodge”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.