Bafflegab
Noun
- Incomprehensible or pretentious verbiage, especially bureaucratic jargon.
Example Sentences
“The contract was full of so much bafflegab that I don’t even know what I agreed to.”
“He spouted a bunch of bafflegab in the meeting, but I knew I would get a better explanation later from his colleague.”
“Do your words carry meaning, or is it all just bafflegab?”
Word Origin
American English, mid-20th century
Why this word?
“Bafflegab” is a relatively recent addition to English, appearing only since the 1950s, but it’s a combination of two common words: “baffle” and “gab.” As those words reflect, “bafflegab” is confusing chatter. In addition to “bafflegab,” English has a plethora of words used to describe nonsense, including “gibberish,” “gobbledygook,” “double-talk,” and “legalese” (used specifically for the confusing language often found in legal documents).