Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. as a euph. for damn v., e.g. I’ll be bamfoozled.

1837

‘Nights At Sea’ in Bentley’s Misc. Nov. 471: Whether yon ’s she or not may I be bamfoozled into a kettle-drummer if I know.

2. to trick, to hoax, to confuse; also as n.

1851		M. Reid Scalp-Hunters III 189: Them Navaghs is mighty cute, and not easily bamfoozled.
1858		Chambers’s Journal IX 383: Thar no better ’n spies, an’ thar last night’s work proves it. ’Twar all bamfoozle about thar gittin’ lost; ’em fellers git lost adeed!
1876		F.H. Moore Mistress Haselwode 113: Comrades! mind him not, he’ll but bamfoozle ye.
1898		H. Macfall Wooings of Jezebel Pettyfer 366: But I forgive the blackguard all his sins [...] even his bamfoozling me.
1902		S.M. Dufur Over the Dead Line 176: Bamfoozle de hounds and may def cut off dare cent.
1905		L. Pound ‘Dialect Speech in Nebraska’ in DN III:i 60: bumfoozle, bumfuzzle, v. Bewilder. ‘I was bumfoozled’.
1905		J.W. Carr ‘Words from Northwest Arkansas’ in DN III:i 72: bumfuzzle, v. To confuse. ‘He was just bumfuzzled in that exam.’.
1911		G. Stratton-Porter Harvester 516: Bamfoozle all the rest of them as much as you please, lad.
1942		Berrey & Van den Bark Amer. Thes. Sl. §174.4: bewilder; confuse; disconcert bumfoozle.