Kerfuffle

[Garzo]

This has become one of my favourite words. It features prominently in one of the sketches in the BBC comedy show Little Britain (you may fancy watching this clip of the local dialect where I live, overdone of course): "What a kerfuffle?"

Kerfuffle is quite a funny word; it generally means a fuss or a chore, and can mean a muddle or a commotion. It is pronounced /ˌkəˈfʌ.fəl/. According to Michael Quinion, the word was used by prominent Yank Ari Fleischer earlier this year, probably is derived from Scots

[sluggo]

This has become one of my favourite words. It features prominently in one of the sketches in the BBC comedy show Little Britain (you may fancy watching this clip of the local dialect where I live, overdone of course): "What a kerfuffle?"

Resurrected from Skinem's more recent suggestion kerf; relationship, if any, unknown.

Note to Statesiders: Garzo's Little Britain show is now viewable on BBCAmerica if you have access to that channel. But my recommendation therein is Catherine Tate (Friday nights), possibly the most talented comedian I've ever seen. The depth and variety of her characters and accents is stupefying.

CT's also in the cast of Doctor Who, which meets up with her Lauren "am I bothered" Cooper character (with Shakespeare along for the ride) in an ample sample here. Happy viewing

[skinem]

Thanks for the tip, Sluggo.

I remember her from "Dr. Who", but didn't realize she was in "Little Britain." I'll have to check it out.

[sluggo]

Clarification: I don't think she's part of "Little Britain" -I used that as a reference point (pretext) to plug her show. The BBCA site says it runs at 9:20 pm Eastern on Fridays, which is far too sparse. Her site has a number of downloadable videos too; some take a while to load but worth every second.

I'm sure for our friends across the pond this is old news but I've just discovered CT a few weeks ago and would seem of interest to the linguistically inclined)

[Dr. Goodword]

I love it, too, so much so that I ran it some time ago. It made "The 100 Funniest Words in English", too.

http://www.alphadictionary.com/goodword/word/kerfuffle

[misterdoe]

A couple of years ago I heard a radio DJ using this word while reporting on an incident in the West Indies regarding government corruption. Something about an airline getting preferential treatment in some countries and whether there was money changing hands. He used the word so often it was taking away from the apparent seriousness of what he was reporting.