mix up

mix up
mix somebody/something ↔ up phrasal verb (see also mix)
1. to make the mistake of thinking that someone or something is another person or thing
   SYN  confuse, muddle up
    mix somebody/something ↔ up with
    I always mix him up with his brother. They look so much alike.
    I think you might be mixing up Wetherall and Newton.
    I must have got the times mixed up.
2. to change the way things have been arranged, often by mistake, so that they are no longer in the same order:
    My papers got all mixed up.
    Books on Scottish history were mixed up with books on volcanoes.
3. to make someone feel confused:
    They kept trying to mix me up.
4. to prepare something by mixing things together:
    It was hard work mixing up four tonnes of cement.
⇨ mixed up, mix-up
     

THESAURUS

■ to mix foods, liquids etc
   ▪ mix to put different substances or liquids together so that they can no longer be separated: Mix yellow and blue paint to make green. | This cake is really easy – you just mix everything together in the bowl. | Concrete is made by mixing gravel with sand, cement, and water.
   ▪ combine to mix things together so that they form a single substance. Combine is more formal than mix: Combine the flour and the eggs. | Steel is produced by combining iron with carbon.
   ▪ stir to move a spoon or stick around in a liquid, a pan etc, especially when you are mixing things together: Keep stirring until the sauce becomes thicker. | Stir the sugar into the warm milk. | Stir the paint before you use it.
   ▪ blend to mix together soft or liquid substances to form a single smooth substance: Blend the yogurt with fresh fruit for a great drink.
   ▪ beat to mix food together quickly and thoroughly using a fork or kitchen tool – used especially about eggs: Beat the eggs and add them to the milk and flour.
   ▪ whisk to mix foods that are soft or liquid very quickly so that air is mixed in, using a fork or special tool: Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
   ▪ dilute to mix a liquid with water in order to make it weaker: Dilute the bleach with two parts water to one part bleach.
■ to mix styles, ideas, or other things
   ▪ mix to put different styles, ideas, or other things together: His music mixes jazz and classical styles. | The different categories of books were all mixed together.
   ▪ combine to mix different styles, ideas, or other things, so that they work together or become a single thing: Diets are most effective when they are combined with exercise. | He combines Greek philosophy with Christian teachings.
   ▪ blend to combine parts of different things together, especially in a successful and effective way: The teaching course blends theory and practice in the classroom.
   ▪ fuse to combine different styles in order to form a new style: The band fuses African rhythms with traditional Celtic music.
   ▪ jumble to mix things together in an untidy way, so that they are not in any order: The jigsaw pieces were all jumbled together in the box.