/ ˈgɑːbld; NAmE ˈgɑːrbld/ adjective
( of a message or story ) told in a way that confuses the person listening, usually by sb who is shocked or in a hurry
SYN confused :
He gave a garbled account of what had happened.
There was a garbled message from her on my voicemail.
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English (in the sense sift out, cleanse ): from Anglo-Latin and Italian garbellare , from Arabic ġarbala sift, perhaps from late Latin cribellare to sieve, from Latin cribrum sieve + -ed .