bamboozle

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 26, 2022 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>bamboozle</strong> &#149; \bam-BOO-zul\&nbsp; &#149; <em>verb</em><br /> <p><em>Bamboozle</em> means "to deceive, trick, or confuse."</p> <p>// The legal advisor bluntly said to his client, "Don't be <em>bamboozled</em> into saying 'yes' to something you don't agree with."</p> <p>// Inexperienced investors are often <em>bamboozled</em> by the <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/volatility">volatility</a> of the stock market.</p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bamboozle">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>"Picasso … showed a talent for <em>bamboozling</em> the authorities, and was able by quick thinking and quicker talking to foil attempts by the Germans to seize a bank vault in which he and Matisse had stored stacks of their work that were worth millions." — John Banville, <em>The New Republic</em>, 1 Nov. 2021</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>In 1710, Irish author Jonathan Swift wrote an article on "the continual Corruption of our English Tongue" in which he complained of "the Choice of certain Words invented by some pretty Fellows." Among the inventions Swift disliked was <em>bamboozle</em>, which was used by contemporary criminals. Other than that, the origin of <em>bamboozle</em> remains a mystery, but the word has clearly defied Swift's assertion that "All new affected Modes of Speech ... are the first perishing Parts in any Language."</p> <br /><br /> </p> </font>