Kerfuffle - n. a disorderly outburst or tumult.
I’ve never heard this word before, but I like the sound of it. Just imagine the confusion on your family members’ faces when you describe Thanksgiving dinner as a kerfuffle. They’ll be so awe-stricken by your interesting word that they’ll forget to be insulted!
The word is more commonly used in England, but it does show up in American news headlines from time to time. Surprisingly enough, even President Bush mentioned kerfuffle once.
The Mavens’ Word of the Day shares some interesting history:
Although the common spelling in English is kerfuffle, it comes from a Scottish word curfuffle, which can be a noun meaning 'disorder, flurry, agitation' or a verb meaning 'to disorder'. It has also been spelled kafuffle, kufuffle, gefuffle, and cafoufle.
By the way, there’s even a folk band from the UK named Kerfuffle. I hope their name doesn’t suit them too well!