1. Mycobacterium vaccae found in mud increase human serotonin levels, which may explain why playing in mud makes children happy.
2. Humans have been making huts and pottery from mud for about 30,000 years.
3. The band Mud had 14 UK Top 20 hits between 1973 and 1976, including three number ones.
4. The phrase “as clear as mud” dates back to 1804, “as fat as mud” was first seen in 1807, and the toast “Here’s mud in your eye” appeared in 1927.
5. Animals such as pigs, elephants and rhinos bathe in mud to lower their body temperatures.
6. Useful mud verbs: “bedrabble” (make dirty with rain or mud); “belute” (splatter with mud); daggle (drag in mud); “plodge” (wade through mud).
7. Useful mud synonyms: clabber, clauber, clart, cloom, glaur, groot, grummel, lutulence, slather, sleck, slike, slutch, sposh, stabble.
8. There is a species of wasp called the mud dauber which builds its nests out of mud.
9. Mud packs owe their popularity to vitamin E in mud which revitalises the skin.
10. “I made all my generals out of mud.” (Napoleon Bonaparte).