the.com/muffle
the art of making the world quieter without admitting you're hiding from it
means To wrap, cover, or dampen something so that its sound, sharpness, or expression is reduced.
from From Middle English muffle, likely borrowed from Old French mouflemittens or thick padded gloves — those bundling wraps that swallow the hands. The sense traveled naturally from cloth that covers to sound that's covered, so to muffle was first to bundle up snugly, then to smother a noise. It's probably a cousin of muff, the same warm, padded family of words.
- furnace term
- a muffle furnace shields contents from direct flame
- etymology
- likely from muff, the hand-warmer that smothered sound
- snow trick
- fresh snow muffles by trapping sound in air pockets
- firearms
- muffling gunshots inspired the very first suppressors
for instance
muffler on a car — exhaust silencer that reduces noise by 20-35 decibels on most vehicles
harry potter's scarf — gryffindor scarf worn by daniel radcliffe throughout the film series