kerfuffle
[ ker-fuhf-uhl ]
noun
Informal. a fuss; commotion.
Origin of kerfuffle
1First recorded in 1945–50; from Scots curfuffle, from cur- (from Scottish Gaelic car “a turn,” from Old Irish cor ) + fuffle “to disorder, confuse” (of imitative origin)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for kerfuffle
kerfuffle
carfuffle or kurfuffle
/ (kəˈfʌfəl) /
noun
informal, mainly British commotion; disorder; agitation
verb
(tr) Scot to put into disorder or disarray; ruffle or disarrange
Origin of kerfuffle
1from Scottish curfuffle, carfuffle, from Scottish Gaelic car twist, turn + fuffle to disarrange
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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