flummox
pronunciation
How to pronounce flummox in British English:
UK [ˈflʌməks]
How to pronounce flummox in American English:
US [ˈflʌməks]
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- Verb:
- be a mystery or bewildering to
Word Origin
- flummox (v.)
- 1837, cant word, also flummux, of uncertain origin, probably risen out of a British dialect (OED finds candidate words in Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, southern Cheshire, and Sheffield). "The formation seems to be onomatopœic, expressive of the notion of throwing down roughly and untidily" [OED]. Related: Flummoxed; flummoxing.
Example
- 1. The lawyer cross-examined the witness , trying his best to flummox .
- 2. These patterns flummox researchers and , according to wilson , they will continue to remain mysterious until we look at culture for an answer .
- 3. Ambivalent teams and individuals that are unable to make or hold to decisions can flummox discussions as easily as stubbornness can .
- 4. He kept the party quiet during four months of student demonstrations against rises in tuition fees in quebec-a silence that seemed to flummox the conservative attack machine .
- 5. Some aspects of reality - a unified theory of physics , or a theory of consciousness - might elude our understanding simply because they 're beyond the powers of human brains , just as surely as quantum mechanics would flummox a chimpanzee .