Phrase guide

look as if one has been dragged through a hedge backwards

verb · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌlʊk‿əz‿ɪf ˈwʌn həz bɪn ˈdɹæɡd θɹuː‿ə hɛd͡ʒ ˈbækwɜːdz/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˌlʊk‿əz‿ɪf ˈwʌn həz bɪn ˈdɹæɡd θɹu‿ə hɛd͡ʒ ˈbækwɝdz/

1

verb

Meaning 1

To look extremely dishevelled.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK, humorous, informal, intransitive

Qualifier: simile

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: look like something the cat dragged in

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

3 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: näyttää aivan sotkuiselta — to look extremely dishevelled
  • Macedonian: и́згледа нави́стина неу́редно (ízgleda navístina neúredno) — to look extremely dishevelled
  • Polish: wyglądać jak strach na wróble — to look extremely dishevelled