confusticate

present singular third person confusticates · participle present confusticating · participle past confusticated · past confusticated

1. USinformaltransitiveTo confuse, confound, or perplex.

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

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

   5 more examples

   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.

   1852, Charles Jacobs Peterson, The Cabin and Parlor; or, Slaves and Masters, T. B. Peterson, page 76

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

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

   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...

   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

   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?

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

   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.'

   1999, Neil Gaiman, Stardust, page 71

   Synonyms: confuscate