A LITTLE about Messing and Fussing

Today’s English
February 8th, 2017

The two words “mess" and “fuss" can be frequently used in our daily life in most of the situations.

If your hair,  dress,  or place or somebody’s is dirty and untidy, you can use the phrase “such a mess"

1.Why is your hair / dress such a mess today? (Dirty and untidy)

2.O my god! I have never seen your home with such a mess today?

Similarly to “make a mess of” something is “to spoil something” or act badly.

1.Talking unnecessary matters, he made a mess of the meeting. (Spoiled)

2.How was your exam yesterday? Ask no more. I really made a mess of it. (Performed badly)

If you find someone to behave in a rude or annoying way or argue with you unnecessarily, you can use the expression “ Don’t mess with me".

1.Don’t mess with your higher officials. Then you have to pay for it.

2.Nandhini! How dare you mess your teacher like this!

Like mess, the word fuss also carries a negative meaning. If somebody expresses too much of feelings, anger, excitement, arguments on trivial matters, it is said, they make much fuss on it.

1.I have never seen such a fuss. Can you please keep quiet?

2.Please stop fussing. I’m not at all interested in that.

You know, Shakespeare has staged a complete drama on fuss (=ado).   Yes, it is “Much Ado About Nothing" which I still remember for the following lines in which Beatrice is fussing over why she wants to remain unmarried:

“He that hath a beard is more than a youth, and he that hath no beard is less than a man; and he that is more than a youth is not for me, and he that is less than a man, I am not for him.”