Bumfuzzle

/bʌmˈfʌzəl/ verb

Definition

To confuse, perplex, or bewilder someone; to bamboozle or confound.

Etymology

American dialectal term, likely a blend of 'bump' or 'bum' (meaning to affect negatively) and 'fuzzle' (to confuse), possibly influenced by 'befuddle.' Common in 19th-century American English.

Kelly Says

Bumfuzzle is pure American frontier slang that somehow never caught on nationally, despite being wonderfully expressive—it appears in Mark Twain's writings and suggests confusion with physical force, like your brain getting bumped around.

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