Flummoxing
“Flummoxing” 指把某人问住、考倒或搞得不知所措，语气口语、略带幽默，如 a flummoxing puzzle（把人难住的谜题）。比 confuse 更强调“一时完全没辙”。
- “The final riddle on the quiz show was flummoxing even the champion.” (智力竞赛最后一道谜题把冠军都难住了。)
- “New tax forms can be flummoxing for first-time filers.” (新税表能让首次申报的人一头雾水。)
- “She enjoyed flummoxing her brother with obscure trivia.” (她喜欢用冷门冷知识把弟弟问懵。)
“Flummox” 为 19 世纪英国方言词，来源不确定，可能受 flummery（空话）等词影响，现代义稳定为“使困惑”。
“-ing” 表示令人困惑的状态或正在使人犯难；词干为单音节口语动词，无产型前缀。
在英式幽默、谜题节目与日常吐槽中常见；美式亦使用，常形容 paperwork、technology glitches 等“把人整懵”的事物。
- 固定搭配: “flummoxing question” (把人问住的问题), “find something flummoxing” (觉得某事令人困惑)
- 原形: flummox
- 过去式: flummoxed
flummox 听起来像突然被堵住——flummoxing 就是正在把人彻底难住。
“The flummoxing instructions left him flummoxed until a neighbor showed him which cable went where.” (令人懵圈的说明书让他束手无策，直到邻居告诉他哪根线插哪里。)