different between flummox vs bamboozle

English

Etymology

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].

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?fl?m?ks/

Verb

flummox (third-person singular simple present flummoxes, present participle flummoxing, simple past and past participle flummoxed)

1. To confuse; to fluster; to flabbergast.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:confuse

Translations

References

English

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bæm.?bu?.z?l/

Verb

bamboozle (third-person singular simple present bamboozles, present participle bamboozling, simple past and past participle bamboozled)

1. (transitive, informal) To con, defraud, trick, to make a fool of, to humbug or impose on someone.
   • 1851, Herman Melville, Moby Dick, chapter 19

     “Look here, friend,” said I, “if you have anything important to tell us, out with it; but if you are only trying to bamboozle us, you are mistaken in your game; that’s all I have to say.”

2. (transitive, informal) To confuse, frustrate or perplex.

   He's completely bamboozled by the changes in the computer system.

Translations

Derived terms

Noun

bamboozle (plural bamboozles)

1. (obsolete, informal) A cheat, hoax, or imposition.