Word of the Day

: November 14, 2011

bamboozle

verb bam-BOO-zul

What It Means

1 : to deceive by underhanded methods : dupe, hoodwink

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

bamboozle in Context

Olivia couldn’t believe that she had been bamboozled into giving money to a phony charity.

"Football at every level involves repeated acts of deception. A quarterback fakes a handoff, a receiver pantomimes a catch to bamboozle a defensive back, a linebacker feints a blitz before suddenly reversing course to drop back in pass coverage. " -- From a column by Ray Cox in The Roanoke Times (Virginia), September 2, 2011

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 were "bamboozle," "bubble" (a dupe), "put" (a fool), and "sham." (Perhaps he objected to the use of "sham" as a verb; he himself had used the adjective meaning "false" a couple of years previously.) What all these words appear to have in common is a connection to the underworld as jargon of criminals. Other than that, the origin of "bamboozle" remains a mystery, but the over-300-year-old word has clearly defied Swift's assertion that "All new affected Modes of Speech . . . are the first perishing Parts in any Language."