What does bumfuzzle mean?

It’s a transitive verb that means confuse; perplex; fluster.

How do you pronounce it?

\¦bəm¦fəzəl\

Where does it come from?

Bumfuzzle may have begun as dumfound, which was then altered first into dumfoozle and then into bumfoozle. Dumfound (or dumbfound) remains a common word today, but bumfuzzle unfortunately is extremely rare.

How do you use it?

For example: “Irish can bumfuzzle any team” – headline about the Notre Dame “Fighting Irish” football team in the Chicago Tribune newspaper.