confusticate

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kənˈfʌstəkeɪt/

Verb

confusticate (third-person singular simple present confusticates, present participle confusticating, simple past and past participle confusticated)

1. (transitive, informal, chiefly US) To confuse, confound, or perplex.
   • 1852, Charles Jacobs Peterson, The Cabin and Parlor; or, Slaves and Masters, T. B. Peterson, page 76:

     Massa Clifford’s eye sezs, plain as eber eye did, dat de niggers dat ’specs to confusticate him, mus’ be smarter dan eber yer was, or will be ter de fift’ generation.

   • 1868, W. S. Gilbert, “Ruy Blas”, in Tom Hood, editor, The 5 Alls: A Collection of Stories, page 53:

     I had to come and go,
     Receive with pomp and show
     From nations, deputations,
     Which confusticate one so !

   • 1937, J. R. R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, chapter 1:

     ‘Confusticate and bebother these dwarves!’ he said aloud.

   • 1973, Rules of Evidence [unintelligible], Hearings before the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, [unintelligible] Special Subcommittee on Reform of Federal Criminal Laws of the Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives, Ninety-third Congress, First Session, U.S. Government Printing Office, page 12

     it is bound to make of medical malpractice trials veritable wars of even more lengthy attrition; with each side employing such a published congeries of conflicting medical views as would thoroughly confusticate any jury...

   • 1993 February 16, Jessica L. Babylon, “Re: Jessica wins new title: NET.TRAMP”, in alt.personals‎^[1] (Usenet), message-ID <1993Feb16.093030.11303@oz.plymouth.edu>:

     well it sorta isn't YOU, it is rather you quoting me and him quoting you quoting me see how many little greater than signs there are? But it doesn't work if what comes after *my* line is his line and not yours, easy to get confusticated eh?

   • 1999, Neil Gaiman, Stardust, page 71:

     He tapped the side of his pack: on it was written: CHARMED, ENCHANTED, ENSORCELLED AND CONFUSTICATED. 'I used to be confusticated,' he confided, 'but you know how these things go.'

   • 2001, Peter J. Dabbene, Mister Dreyfus' Demons, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN, page 158:

     The shoulder-Satan whispered into Fred’s ear, “How many chances do you get to confusticate Satan himself?”

Synonyms

• confuscate

Related terms

• confustication

See also

• Appendix:Fanciful 19th century American coinages

References

• The Maven's Word of the Day for October 6, 1998