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   baffle

   /ˈbafl/

   verb

   • 1. totally bewilder or perplex: "an unexplained occurrence that baffled everyone" Similar perplexpuzzlebewildermystifybemuseconfuseconfoundnonplusdisconcertthrowset someone thinkinginformal:flummoxdiscombobulatefazestumpbeatfoxmake someone scratch their headbe all Greek tofloorfogbuffalorare:wildergravelmazecause to be at a standposeobfuscateOpposite enlighten
   • 2. restrain or regulate (a fluid, sound, etc.): "to baffle the noise further, I pad the gunwales" Similar thwartfrustratefoilbalkcheckblockhinderobstructbarpreventdeflectdivertOpposite further

   noun

   • 1. a device used to restrain the flow of a fluid, gas, etc. or to prevent the spreading of sound or light in a particular direction: "you can cut out glare from a strip light by concealing it behind a baffle"

   Word Origin late 16th century (in the sense ‘cheat, deceive’): perhaps related to French bafouer ‘ridicule’ or obsolete French beffer ‘mock, deceive’.

   Scrabble Points: 14

   • B

     3

   • A

     1

   • F

     4

   • F

     4

   • L

     1

   • E

     1

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