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kerfuffle

[ ker-fuhf-uhl ]
/ kərˈfʌf əl /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR kerfuffle ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Chiefly British Informal. a fuss; commotion.

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Origin of kerfuffle

First recorded in 1945–50; from Scots curfuffle, equivalent to cur- (from Scots Gaelic car “to twist, turn,” from Old Irish cor “a turn) + fuffle “to disorder, confuse” (of imitative origin)

Words nearby kerfuffle

kereru, Keresan, kerf, kerflooey, kerflop, kerfuffle, Kerguelen, Kerguelen Islands, kerion, Kerki, Kerkrade
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to kerfuffle

commotion, disruption, disturbance, disorder, tumult, splash, convulsion, upheaval, fracas, melee, row, brouhaha, unrest, fiasco, chaos

Example sentences from the Web for kerfuffle

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

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012