Link Centre Dictionary

kerfuffle

ker·fuffle

UK/kəˈfʌfəl/ US/kɚˈfʌfəl/ uncommon informal uk

noun

1.

a disorderly outburst or tumult

  • “they were amazed by the furious disturbance they had caused”

Origin

Probably from Scots curfuffle, equivalent to ker- + fuffle, or related to Irish cíor thuathail (“confusion, bewilderment”). Similar to modern Welsh cythrwfl (“uproar, trouble, agitation”)

Related words

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.