Confuses or puzzles someone completely, or to block or slow down the flow of something like sound or water.
From Scottish 'bauchle' (to treat shamefully) or possibly from Old French 'baffer' (to mock). The meaning shifted to 'confuse' by the 1600s; the physical meaning (obstruction) came later.
Sound engineers use baffles—special walls that block sound waves—because they're literally applying the same principle as mental confusion: something is getting in the way and preventing forward movement.
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