fuss

See also: Fuss, fúss, and Fuß

English

Etymology

Of unknown origin. Perhaps from Danish fjas (“nonsense”), from Middle Low German (compare German faseln (“to maunder, talk nonsense”)).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fʌs/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌs

Noun

fuss (countable and uncountable, plural fusses)

1. (countable or uncountable) Excessive activity, worry, bother, or talk about something.

   They made a big fuss about the wedding plans.

   What's all the fuss about?

   • 1866 (date written), Thomas Carlyle, “Jane Welsh Carlyle”, in James Anthony Froude, editor, Reminiscences, volume II, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1881, →OCLC, page 158:

     Sickness did not last above a ten days; my poor wife zealously assiduous, and with a minimum of fuss or noise.

   • 1935, George Goodchild, chapter 1, in Death on the Centre Court:

     “Anthea hasn't a notion in her head but to vamp a lot of silly mugwumps. She's set her heart on that tennis bloke […] whom the papers are making such a fuss about.”

   • 2018 January 25, Amelia Gentleman, “Men-only clubs and menace: how the establishment maintains male power”, in the Guardian‎^[1]:

     But in the reader comments section beneath the FT piece, many couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about. “I’m surprised to see the FT reporting this sort of thing,” one person wrote.

2. A complaint or noise; a scene.

   If you make enough of a fuss about the problem, maybe they'll fix it for you.

3. An exhibition of affection or admiration.

   They made a great fuss over the new baby.

Derived terms

• fuss-budget
• fuss-budgetry
• kick up a fuss

 

Translations

excessive activity, worry, bother, or talk about something

• Bulgarian: суетене (bg) n (suetene), шетня (bg) f (šetnja)
• Catalan: rebombori (ca) m, gatzara (ca) f, brogit (ca) m, cridòria (ca) f, aldarull (ca) m
• Czech: povyk (cs) m
• Finnish: hössötys (fi), hämminki (fi), tohina (fi), touhu (fi), touhuaminen (fi), touhotus (fi)
• French: agitation (fr) f
• Galician: barullo (gl) m
• German: Lärm (de) m, Wirbel (de) m, Aufstand (de) m, Gehabe (de) n, Trubel (de) m
• Greek: αναστάτωση (el) f (anastátosi), φασαρία (el) f (fasaría), αναταραχή (el) f (anatarachí), σαματάς (el) m (samatás), αναμπουμπούλα (el) m (anampoumpoúla)
• Hungarian: felhajtás (hu), hűhó (hu), fakszni (hu)
• Irish: fothragadh m
• Italian: confusione (it) f, trambusto (it) m, daffare m
• Maori: utiuti
• Norwegian: kjas (no)
• Plautdietsch: Kracheel m
• Portuguese: rebuliço m, confusão (pt) f, barulho (pt) m
• Romanian: freamăt (ro) n, agitație (ro) f, frământare (ro) f
• Russian: суета́ (ru) f (sujetá), сумато́ха (ru) f (sumatóxa), сыр-бор (ru) m (syr-bor), шуми́ха (ru) f (šumíxa)
• Spanish: fandango (es) m, jaleo (es) m, escándalo (es) m
• Turkish: telaş (tr), velvele (tr), yaygara (tr)
• Welsh: ffwdan

a complaint or noise

• Bulgarian: шум (bg) m (šum), врява (bg) f (vrjava)
• Finnish: meteli (fi), metakka (fi)
• French: histoires (fr) f pl
• German: Wirbel (de) m, Theater (de) n, Geschrei (de) n
• Greek: φασαρία (el) f (fasaría), σαματάς (el) m (samatás)
• Hungarian: (colloquial) balhé (hu), (scene) jelenet (hu), (scandal/outrage) botrány (hu), (uproar) felzúdulás (hu), (din/racket) lárma (hu)
• Italian: rumore (it) m, baccano (it) m, chiasso (it) m
• Maori: amuamu, kōamuamu
• Portuguese: reclamação (pt), bagunça (pt), barulho (pt), fuzuê (pt) m, auê (pt) m (slang)
• Romanian: indispoziție (ro) f, zgomot (ro) n, gălăgie (ro) f
• Russian: шум (ru) m (šum), представле́ние (ru) n (predstavlénije)

an exhibition of affection or admiration

• Finnish: ihastelu (fi), tohina (fi), touhu (fi), touhotus (fi), vouhotus (fi)
• German: ein Fass aufmachen (de) (idiom)
• Italian: scalpore (it) m, entusiasmo (it) m
• Romanian: entuziasm (ro) n

Verb

fuss (third-person singular simple present fusses, present participle fussing, simple past and past participle fussed)

1. (intransitive) To be very worried or excited about something, often too much.
   • 1984 December 29, Duncan Mitchel, “The Cult of Gay Machismo”, in Gay Community News, volume 12, number 25, page 9:

     Dear reader, spare me. I don't hate men, I love them; I eat 'em for breakfast. But it seems to me that fussing about masculinity is intimately related to homophobia.

   His grandmother will never quit fussing over his vegetarianism.

2. (intransitive) To fiddle; fidget; wiggle, or adjust

   Quit fussing with your hair. It looks fine.

3. (transitive) To disturb (a person)
4. (intransitive, US, especially of babies) To cry or be ill-humoured.
5. (intransitive, with over) To show affection for, especially animals.
6. (transitive) To pet.

   He fussed the cat.

Usage notes

• Generally used with with, over, or about.

Derived terms

• fuss around
• fuss over

 

Translations

to be very worried or excited about something, often too much

• Bulgarian: тревожа се (trevoža se), безпокоя се (bezpokoja se)
• Finnish: hössöttää (fi), touhottaa (fi), tohista
• French: s’agiter (fr), s’empresser (fr)
• Greek: ανησυχώ (el) (anisychó)
• Hungarian: izgul (hu), nagy hűhót csap, nagy faksznit csinál
• Italian: agitarsi (it), affannarsi (it), scalmanarsi (it)
• Polish: przeżywać (pl) impf, przejmować się (pl) impf, srać się (pl) impf (vulg)
• Romanian: agita (ro), frământa (ro)
• Russian: суети́ться (ru) (sujetítʹsja), переживать (ru) impf (pereživatʹ)

to fiddle; fidget; wiggle, or adjust; to worry something

• Bulgarian: суетя се (suetja se), щурам се (šturam se)
• Finnish: hiplata (fi), touhuta (fi), touhottaa (fi)
• French: tracasser (fr)
• German: fummeln (de) (coll.)
• Greek: πειράζω (el) (peirázo)
• Hungarian: babrál (hu), vacakol (hu), igazgat (hu), matat (hu)
• Italian: scocciare (it), agitarsi (it), seccare (it)
• Romanian: fâțâi (ro), foi (ro)
• Russian: возиться (ru) impf (vozitʹsja)

to show affection for

• Finnish: helliä (fi), hellitellä
• German: verrückt sein (nach)

to be ill-humoured

• Ottoman Turkish: تتیزلنمك (titizlenmek)

to pet

• Finnish: silitellä (fi)
• German: streicheln (de)
• Greek: χαϊδεύω (el) (chaïdévo)

Derived terms

• fussbudget
• fussbutton
• fusspot
• fussy
• fuss and bother
• no muss no fuss

Anagrams

• USSF

Hungarian

Alternative forms

• fussál

Etymology

fut (“to run”) ‎ -j (personal suffix)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈfuʃː]
• Hyphenation: fuss
• Rhymes: -uʃː

Verb

fuss

1. second-person singular subjunctive present indefinite of fut

Icelandic

Interjection

fuss

1. pshaw!, pht!, used to indicate disapproval or scoffery

   Synonyms: svei, iss, uss, fussum svei

   Fuss! Meiri vitleysan! ― Pht! What poppycock!

Derived terms

• fussa (“turn your nose up at something”)