The story
From Yiddish פֿאָנפֿען (fonfen, “to speak with a nasal twang, to mumble”) + English -er (frequentative suffix). First attested in 1954. Compare fumf.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
fumfer
Today it means: To speak awkwardly or evasively; to dither, waffle. Full definition →