bafflegab

American  

[baf-uhl-gab] / ˈbæf əlˌgæb /

noun

Slang.

1. confusing or generally unintelligible jargon; gobbledegook.

   an insurance policy written in bafflegab impenetrable to a lay person.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• bafflegabber
  noun

Etymology

Origin of bafflegab

First recorded in 1950–55; baffle + gab ¹

Explanation

Bafflegab is circuitous, enigmatic, abstruse, prolix, and diffuse….and if you found that sentence difficult to understand, you'll see what this word means. Call something bafflegab when it has a lot of confusing, difficult-to-understand jargon. The clue to the word's meaning is in its name. It's a combination of baffle, "to confuse," and gab, "talk." Bafflegab isn't just badly worded: It likely has a lot of long words that few people would understand, especially when short, easy-to-understand words could be just as effective. People often use bafflegab to avoid giving a straight answer, or to sound important and knowledgeable. Look for bafflegab in political speeches, government documents, and legal contracts.

Example Sentences

Twitter insisted this was self-serving bafflegab, and also that a judge should make this underhanded deadbeat buy and run their $44 billion baby.

From Washington Post • Oct. 7, 2022

At present, these online documents are written in a form of bafflegab impenetrable to anyone lacking a degree in law or information science, or both.

From Washington Post • Mar. 19, 2019

I applaud any effort to end financial bafflegab, as the late Sylvia Porter used to call it.

From Time • Jan. 10, 2013

Glossaries help to explain insurance, stock market and real estate terms that Porter calls "bafflegab."

From Time Magazine Archive

Against this backdrop of "bafflegab," as Sylvia calls anything the reader cannot be expected to digest without help, her column stood out in bold and refreshing relief.

From Time Magazine Archive