Bobbery

Word of the Day for Friday, December 2, 2011

bobbery \BOB-uh-ree\, noun:

A disturbance or a brawl.

“Allow me, Mr. Ivolgin,” Ippolit suddenly interrupted, irritably, “what's all this bobbery for, if I may ask...”
-- Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Idiot

Kicked up the most delightful bobbery that had ever been witnessed!
-- Anthony Trollope, Is He Popenjoy? A Novel

Bobbery, unexpectedly, is from the Hindu phrase bap re meaning “O father!” It was first recorded in print in 1816 in The Grand Master.

Thanks to: http://www.dictionary.com/