bamboozle
UK /bæmˈbuː.zl̩/ · US /bæmˈbu.zl̩/ verb, noun
Forms bamboozles bamboozling bamboozled bambooze
- verb (transitive, informal) To con, defraud, trick, to make a fool of, to humbug or impose on someone.
- verb (transitive, informal) To confuse, frustrate or perplex. “He's completely bamboozled by the changes in the computer system.”
- noun (obsolete, informal) A cheat, hoax, or imposition.
Synonyms
snow hoodwink pull the wool over someone's eyes lead by the nose play false
Etymology
Derivative of 17th-century vernacular bam (“to trick, to con”), which is a derivative of bam in noun use (fraudster, cheat). Possibly from French embobiner.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To deceive by trickery; to cajole by confusing the senses; to hoax; to mystify; to humbug. [Colloq.] Addison.
Etymology [Said to be of Gipsy origin.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “bamboozle”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details