kerfuffle
[ker-fuhf-uh l]
- Chiefly British Informal. a fuss; commotion.
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Origin of kerfuffle
1945–50; < Scots curfuffle < cur- (< Scots Gaelic car ‘to twist, turn’ < Old Irish cor ‘a turn’) + fuffle ‘to disorder, confuse’ (of imitative origin)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words for kerfuffle
commotion, disruption, disturbance, disorder, tumult, splash, convulsion, upheaval, fracas, melee, row, brouhaha, unrest, fiasco, chaosExamples from the Web for kerfuffle
Contemporary Examples of kerfuffle
The kerfuffle began with a £200 bet, followed by several smaller bets in quick succession.
That's the goofiest part about the kerfuffle: It's not a theoretical discussion.
The most interesting thing about Rice has been the kerfuffle over her move to become secretary of state.
Had one been expecting a kerfuffle, one would have been most disappointed.
The Academy's honorary Oscar for anti-Semitic French director Jean-Luc Godard is more than a kerfuffle—it's an outrage.
kerfuffle
carfuffle or kurfuffle
- informal, mainly British commotion; disorder; agitation
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- (tr) Scot to put into disorder or disarray; ruffle or disarrange
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Word Origin for kerfuffle
from 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
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Word Origin and History for kerfuffle
"row, disturbance," c.1930, first in Canadian English, ultimately from Scot. curfuffle.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper