Bamboozle

 WORD OF THE DAY

bamboozle /verb / bam-BOO-zul

Definition

1a: to deceive by underhanded methods 

1b: dupe, hoodwink

2: to confuse, frustrate, or throw off thoroughly or completely

BAMBOOZLE in Context

"Picasso … showed a talent for bamboozling the authorities, and was able by quick thinking and quicker talking to foil attempts by the Germans to seize a bank vault in which he and Matisse had stored stacks of their work that were worth millions." 

— John Banville, The New Republic, 1 Nov. 2021

Variant mutations that would totally bamboozle antibodies can’t always fool T cells, which means a lot more of them will be fairly Omicron-proof, Gralinski told me.

— Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 8 Dec. 2021

Did You Know?

In 1710, Irish author Jonathan Swift wrote an article on "the continual Corruption of our English Tongue" in which he complained of "the Choice of certain Words invented by some pretty Fellows." 

Among the inventions Swift disliked was bamboozle, which was used by contemporary criminals. Other than that, the origin of bamboozle remains a mystery, but the word has clearly defied Swift's assertion that "All new affected Modes of Speech ... are the first perishing Parts in any Language."