imbroglio

1 an intricate and confusing interpersonal or political situation [syn: embroilment]

2 a very embarrassing misunderstanding

English

Etymology

Italian imbroglio "tangle", from imbrogliare "to tangle", cognate with and probably from an earlier form of French embrouiller "muddle, embroil", from em- "en-" + brouiller.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: im·bro·glio
• Rhymes: -əʊljəʊ

Noun

imbroglio (plural: imbroglios)

1. a complicated situation; an entanglement

Usage notes

• The Italian plural imbrogli does not appear to be used in English.

Italian

Noun

1. tangle, entanglement, muddle, scrape
2. cheat, swindle, trick, diddle, fraud

Synonyms

• (1) intrico, pasticcio, impiccio
• (2) inganno, truffa, frode

Related terms

• imbrogliare
• imbroglione

Verb

imbroglio

1. first-person singular present tense of imbrogliare

altercation, argument, bicker, bickering, bind, blood feud, brawl, broil, clutch, complication, contention, controversy, crunch, dispute, donnybrook, donnybrook fair, embarrassing position, embarrassment, embroilment, falling-out, feud, fight, fine how-do-you-do, fliting, fracas, fuss, hell to pay, hobble, hot water, how-do-you-do, jam, logomachy, mess, miff, mix, morass, open quarrel, parlous straits, pass, pickle, pinch, plight, polemic, predicament, pretty pass, pretty pickle, pretty predicament, quagmire, quarrel, quicksand, row, scrape, sharp words, slanging match, slough, snarl, spat, spot, squabble, squeeze, stew, sticky wicket, strait, straits, strife, swamp, tiff, tight spot, tight squeeze, tightrope, tricky spot, tussle, unholy mess, vendetta, words, wrangle