flummox – the 2Q 2020 word

Every month or quarter or so I like to share the definition and maybe the background of a word (i.e. the etymology). The third quarter 2020 word was “flummox”.

Definition of flummox

transitive verb: CONFUSE

He was flummoxed by the legal jargon.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flummox

Etymology

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.

https://www.etymonline.com/word/flummox

Synonyms for flummox

Synonyms

• addle, 
• baffle, 
• bamboozle, 
• beat, 
• befog, 
• befuddle, 
• bemuse, 
• bewilder, 
• buffalo, 
• confound, 
• confuse, 
• discombobulate, 
• disorient, 
• fox, 
• fuddle, 
• get, 
• gravel, 
• maze, 
• muddle, 
• muddy, 
• mystify, 
• perplex, 
• pose, 
• puzzle, 
• vex

Source:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flummox