Have you ever wondered how the phrase 'your name is mud' came about? A popular theory is it was taken from Dr. Samuel Mudd who may or may not have played a part in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. He was sentenced to prison for being Booth's conspirator. He had met Booth prior to the shooting and gave Booth medical treatment for the leg he broke escaping the theater after the shooting. He was later pardoned and released. The phrase was in use long before that though. As early as the 16th century mud was used to refer to things worthless or polluting,and later expanded its meaning to include people. Mud is also featured in other phrases and in some is meant in a good way. Some common mud phrase are,'dragged through the mud','mud in your eye'(I'll have to look at this one more closely!),'as clear as mud' and as recently as 2010 BP tried to cap the Gulf of Mexico oil spill by applying the old adage 'mud sticks'. But hey! who am I to sling mud?
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