kerfuffle
pronunciation
How to pronounce kerfuffle in British English:
UK [kəˈfʌfl]
How to pronounce kerfuffle in American English:
US [kərˈfʌfl]
-
- Noun:
- a disorderly outburst or tumult
Word Origin
- kerfuffle (n.)
- "row, disturbance," 1973, said to have been used c. 1930 in Canadian English, ultimately from Scottish curfuffle.
Example
- 1. He moves quickly , with minimal kerfuffle .
- 2. Whatever the motivation for the prosecution , mr elbegdorj and his dp seem poised to benefit from the kerfuffle .
- 3. Government ministers eschew high-flown rhetoric about european unity : the foreign minister recently caused a kerfuffle by saying that finland has contingency plans for a break-up of the euro .
- 4. The kerfuffle over executive pay and rising levels of inequality is not happening in a vacuum ; it could be symptomatic of " rent-seeking " behaviour by corporates .
- 5. Ryan phelan , the head of dna direct , a genetic-testing firm that was bought by medco in february , predicts that the current regulatory kerfuffle will prove " just a blip " on the path to consumers gaining access to their genetic information .