Kerfuffle

The other day a friend posted that one of their favorite words is kerfuffle because it was a party on her mouth to just say the word. So today, I give you:

KERFUFFLE

Say it with me: Kerfuffle.

Say it four times, really fast: Kerfuffle, Kerfuffle, Kerfuffle, Kerfuffle.

Straight from Merium Webster

kerfuffle: noun

ker·​fuf·​fle kər-ˈfə-fəl 

plural: kerfuffles

: a disturbance or commotion typically caused by a dispute or conflict

It’s not the only school with dress code issues; almost every week there’s a local story about some kerfuffle over what kids wear to school.—Belinda Luscombe

The Evolution of Kerfuffle

Fuffle is an old Scottish verb that means “to muss” or “to throw into disarray”—in other words, to (literally) ruffle someone’s (figurative) feathers. The addition of car-, possibly from a Scottish Gaelic word meaning “wrong” or “awkward,” didn’t change its meaning much. In the 19th century carfuffle, with its variant curfuffle, became a noun, which in the 20th century was embraced by a broader population of English speakers and standardized to kerfuffle, referring to a more figurative feather-ruffling. There is some kerfuffle among language historians over how the altered spelling came to be favored. One theory holds that it might have been influenced by onomatopoeic words like kerplunk that imitate the sound of a falling object hitting a surface.

Synonyms of kerfuffle Just click back there on that there kerfuffle link.

Here are a few of the synonyms that I thought were fun:
~Blather
~Ballyhoo
~Foofaraw
~Shindy
~Willywaw
Be sure to check out the entire list of 95 synonyms. You’ll be glad you did.

I hope your day is not filled with actual kerfuffling, but if you say it enough times, really fast, as you walk through the mall, I’m sure the looks you get will make you laugh all day.

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Today’s post is brought to you by the letter K and by: