Imagine “kerfuffle” with a Scots brogue — the word most likely comes from the Gaelic word “car” (“twist, bend”), paired with the onomatopoeic Scots word “fuffle,” meaning “disorder.” Also likely related is the Irish phrase “cior thual,” which means “confusion, disorder.” You wouldn’t use “kerfuffle” for a serious fight or battle, but if there’s a slight disagreement or a difference of opinion, and no one is seeing eye to eye  — especially with a bit of hullabaloo and commotion — this is the right noun to use.