Kerfuffle

Several readers of Enlighten-New Jersey have emailed to ask about our use of the word kerfuffle and its meaning. First we’d like to thank those folks for emailing, because the lack of comments got us to wondering whether anyone was reading our missives. So readers, don’t be shy, engage the debate and post comments. Keep the emails coming, we enjoy those too.

Anyway, we have to admit we like the sound of the word kerfuffle and it just seems to colorfully encapsulate this whole Christmas hoo-hah. We promise in the future to use the term more sparingly.

Noun: kerfuffle (kur’fúful)
Definition: 1.a commotion or fuss; 2.a disorderly outburst or tumult
Synonyms: disturbance, disruption, commotion, flutter, to-do, hoo-ha, hoo-hah
Origin: perhaps from Scots curfuffle (from fuffle to disorder), or related to Irish cior thual ‘confusion, disorder’