Huckleberries: Close Kerfuffle Encounter

I never encountered a kerfuffle until Opinion Editor Kevin Richert of the Idaho Statesman brought one to my attention a few weeks ago. Now, I’ve found two. A “kerfuffle”? My American Slang dictionary describes one as “disorder, confusion.” The dictionary then illustrates the word by using a quote from Maureen Dowd: “Don Imus … has thrown the capital into a kerfuffle.” It’s a noun. An old one. From 1813. Richert used kerfuffle in discussing the commotion created when House Speaker Lawrence Denney asked Statehouse journalists to join representatives in pledging allegiance to kick off the day or leave the House floor. Last week, I noticed that we had a kerfuffle on our hands here in North Idaho. Or at least that’s how the Air Force Times addressed the confusion surrounding the Navy’s initial decision to prevent local Iraq war vets from receiving $103 Buck knives as gifts for their service. “A brief Internet kerfuffle.” In an April 3 story, staff writer Philip Ewing broke down the “miniature scandal” for Air Force Times readers, noting blogosphere criticism of the Navy stand. And how quickly the problem was resolved when Navy officials found a loophole that allowed them to save face as they did an about face. In the end, the Legislature adjourned. Local Iraq vets got their knives. And many of us learned an old slang word/DFO, Prairie Voice Huckleberries. More here

Question: Would you use the term “kerfuffle” to describe the spat that we had this week at Huckleberries Online?