confusion

confusion worse confounded

Confusion made worse. Recess was already underway when the fire alarm rang, leading to confusion worse confounded. Trying to wrangle all those kids was certainly a chore!
See also: confusion, worse

smoke and mirrors

Trickery, deception, or misdirection. The candidate has been accused of using smoke and mirrors during the debate to undermine the credibility of his opponent. Before computer generated effects, filmmakers had to use a lot of smoke and mirrors to make fantastic, unbelievable things look realistic in their movies.
See also: and, mirror, smoke

throw into confusion

1. To confuse, confound, or bewilder one. In this usage, a noun or pronoun is used between "throw" and "into." The random outbursts from the audience threw me into confusion during my presentation. The sudden amorous attention from Jonathan threw Sally into confusion, as she had never really thought about him in that way before.
2. To cause some situation, system, process, etc., to fall into a state of disorder, uncertainty, or disarray. The company was thrown into confusion by the sudden resignations of several top-level officials. You're going to end up throwing the project into confusion if you keep changing the parameters like that. The huge cyber attack threw the entire country into confusion for several months.
See also: confusion, throw
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

smoke and mirrors

deception and confusion. (Said of statements or more complicated rhetoric used to mislead people rather than inform. Alludes to the way a magician uses optical illusion to create believability while performing a trick. Fixed order.) Most people know that the politician was just using smoke and mirrors to make things look better than they really were. Her report was little more than smoke and mirrors. No one will believe any of it.
See also: and, mirror, smoke

throw someone or something into confusion

to cause people or a process to become confused, aimless, or disorderly. She made her entrance early and threw eveyone onstage into confusion. The judge's surprise ruling threw the courtroom into confusion.
See also: confusion, throw
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

smoke and mirrors

Smoke and mirrors are words and actions that are intended to deceive or confuse people, especially by making something seem better than it really is. The president claims that his economic plan is free of the smoke and mirrors of previous presidential budget proposals. Thousands of shareholders learned too late that the company's image of success had been created with smoke and mirrors. Note: Magicians sometimes use smoke and mirrors when they are performing tricks, in order to confuse or deceive people.
See also: and, mirror, smoke
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

smoke and mirrors

the obscuring or embellishing of the truth of a situation with misleading or irrelevant information. chiefly North American
1998 Sunday Telegraph Ministers accused the Conservatives of a ‘smoke and mirrors’ con trick.
See also: and, mirror, smoke
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

smoke and ˈmirrors

used to describe ways of tricking people or of hiding the truth: He said the government had used smoke and mirrors to raise taxes. The commission has declared war on the smoke and mirrors of sales promotions.
See also: and, mirror, smoke
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

smoke and mirrors

n. a strategy of deception and cover up. Her entire report was nothing but smoke and mirrors. Who could believe any of it?
See also: and, mirror, smoke
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions

smoke and mirrors

Something that deceives or distorts the truth: Your explanation is nothing but smoke and mirrors.
See also: and, mirror, smoke
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
See also:
  • confusion worse confounded
  • hit the panic button
  • at a stand
  • be as clear as crystal
  • between the jigs and the reels
  • reel
  • be as clear as day
  • clear as crystal
  • crystal
  • (as) clear as crystal
References in periodicals archive
The subcommittee also decided to forgo the concurrent powers to avoid confusion, he added.
Bicam agrees to specify powers of Bangsamoro gov't - Drilon
Mr Haq regretted that the confusion was so widespread that the leaders were asking each other and the voters were asking their leaders about it and it was deepening every day.
MMA won't allow election to be delayed, declares JI
At the same time, the FKE boss said removing partners from the board of trustees will interfere with the smooth running of the fund."The constant effort to remove social partners from the board of trustees is a clear indication that some quarters are usurping powers of NSSF and this will create confusion at the fund," Ms Mugo said.
Employers' union faults planned changes at NSSF
His confusion forces him to say goodbye to his claim to get relief and many have died while waiting for justice whereas justice is the key to prosperity and progress of a nation.
Common masses and a land of confusion
Consumer confusion has been a central issue in the consumer literature for about two decades.
CONSUMER CONFUSION MODERATES THE INERTIA-PURCHASE INTENTION RELATIONSHIP
There is confusion about whether the Karachi mayor has the authority to enforce garbage lifting and to stop gutters from overflowing.
Unhygienic conditions in Karachi
[USA], August 2 (ANI): In a new study, hospital patients with dementia and other causes of confusion have longer stays and worse treatment outcomes than people without the condition.
Hospital patients with dementia have worst outcomes: Study
Infringement, however, can strip the trademark of its value by causing "confusion among consumers" as ...
To Sue or Not to Sue for Trademark Infringement
Although that leads to better competition and a huge variety of alternative services, what it also leads to is a huge amount of confusion for an average user.
Top 5 must have aggregator apps for your smartphone
Este estudio analiza la estrategia me-too entendiendo que lo relevante al momento de una demanda es el hecho de que el producto me-too no genere confusion en el consumidor (Congreso de Colombia, 1996), quien pretende elegir el lider de la categoria.
La estrategia me-too: un producto semejante con un nombre distintivo ubicado junto al lider
Babel itself means confusion while the Tower of Babel is a biblical story from the Book of Genesis ii (1-9).
Tower Of Babel In Sri Lanka - A Tragic-Comedy By Common Deceit Company
Election workers are working to help ensure there is no confusion when voters head to the polls as early voting starts Monday.
Video: Video: Looking to Avoid Confusion Over Voter ID Shuffle
TRADEMARK LAW AND THE DOCTRINE OF POST-SALE CONFUSION
The end of post-sale confusion: how consumer 3D printing will diminish the function of trademarks
The Lanham Act (the Act) governs federal trademark protection, providing for nationwide protection of a trademark against threats, such as the unauthorized reproduction or imitation of a trademark that is "likely to cause confusion, or to cause mistake, or to deceive," and creates two statutory bases for any confusion-based causes of action.
Multifactors, multiconfusion? Refining "likelihood of confusion" factors for reverse-confusion trademark infringement claims to achieve more consistent and predictable results
The subnet shown in Figure 1(a) is a confusion that may occur in WF-nets, which includes two concurrent transitions [t.sub.1] and [t.sub.2] at the shown marking and a structural conflict between transitions [t.sub.2] and [t.sub.3].
Confusion analysis and detection for workflow nets