Discombobulated

Discombobulated is one of those words I love to pull out on occasion, like an especially colorful scarf or jaunty necklace that adds that extra touch of flair. This is indeed a 10-dollar word. It's one of those words that should come with a warning label: "Caution: Use with care. Excessive usage can result in the speaker sounding bombastic and highfalutin'." But in the right circumstances, it's such a delightful sequence of syllables to convey the feeling of discomfort that it almost has to be used tongue-in-cheek.

Perhaps my take on the word reflects the source from which I learned it. No, not one of those high school vocabulary books or the venerable OED (the bible of those with obsessive etymological disorder), but the somewhat-less-than-venerable Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper and their ballad to bad coiffure, "Don't Want No Foo-Foo Haircut on My Head."

"I was mighty discombobulated. I said to myself, discombobulation is sweeping the nation and I don't want no foo-foo haircut sitting on my head!"

(Thanks to Brian for introducing me to that gem at college!)

Dictionary Definition:
Pronounced: |diskəmˈbäbyəˌlāted|
Root words: none listed. American jocular, origins 19th century. Probably an alteration of discompose or discomfit.
1. To be disturbed, upset, confused, disconcerted.
Also, discomboberated.

Of course, if one can be discombobulated, can one be combobulated? According to the OED, which progresses from combo to comboloio, there is no such word. However, according to urbandictionary.com, the definition of combobulated is, "removed from the state of confusion," or "having your stuff together," or "the period before the feeling of discombobulation." Apparently, being combobulated relies on the existence of discombobulation to some extent. Yin and yang, the universal principle, at work, I guess.