word du jour: kerfuffle

kerfuffle
Main Entry: ker·fuf·fle Pronunciation: \kər-ˈfə-fəl\
Function: noun
Etymology: alteration of carfuffle, from Scots car- (probably from Scottish Gaelic cearr wrong, awkward) + fuffle to become disheveled
Date: 1946 chiefly British : disturbance fuss

Here, I'll use it in a true sentence. "Today, I had a bit of a kerfuffle on the phone with my client's tenant."

This word has found its way into one of my fun loving circles of friends. We'll call them the gossip hounds. They love the dish, the dirt, the now, the 411. They start salivating and licking their chops at the first sign of juice on anyone within arm's reach of the group.

Anyway, this term is most often used by some of my friends to describe a personal conflict. Though it's most often said in jest and with little if any malice.