By Basil Macdonald
Kerfuffle (ker-FUFF-ul) (noun) - a disturbance or fuss typically caused by a dispute or conflict
Kerfuffle is considered to be from the Scots word curfuffle, which is thought to have come from a Scottish Gaelic word car, and another Scots word, fuffle. Its first known use was in 1908. It was further embraced by English speakers in the 20th century, and its variants at the time (carfuffle, curfuffle) were standardized to kerfuffle. Synonyms for kerfuffle include disorder, disruption, commotion, tumult, hurly burly, and more.
Sepulcher (SEP-ul-ker) (noun) - An old-fashioned word for tomb or other place of burial.
The earliest time we know of sepulcher being used as a word is in the 13th century. It had originally been spelled sepulcre, and is rooted in Latin, from the verb sepelire, which means to bury. This Latin root also provided us with the word sepulture, which is a synonym for burial and sepulcher, but is used much more rarely. There are several synonyms for sepulcher, like tomb, vault, grave, or crypt.
Cloying (KLOY-ing) (adjective) - very sweet or sentimental
Despite cloying having a pleasant meaning as of now, it originated as cloy, a verb which was used to describe the action of driving a spike or plug into the touch-hole of a gun, ultimately rendering it useless. Cloy went on to be continuously used for words relating to plugging up or stuffing, but currently means “to supply or indulge to excess.” Cloying, however, is often used to describe something sweet that is pleasant in small quantities, but nauseating in masses, both figuratively and literally. There aren’t many one-word synonyms for cloying, because of its unique meaning.
Hyperbole (hye-PER-buh-lee) (noun) - language that describes something as much more extreme than it really is.
Hyperbole comes from the Greek verb hyperballein, which meant to exceed. Its first known use was in the 15th century. A few synonyms of hyperbole could be exaggeration, overstatement, overkill, or amplification.