jembrouillais

Jembrouillais is a term used primarily in colloquial French to describe the act of muddling or confusing things. It derives from the verb embrouiller, which means to entangle, complicate, or confuse. The form j'embrouillais is the first-person imperfect of embrouiller, translating to "I used to muddle" or "I used to entangle." In informal writing, the word is sometimes seen without the apostrophe as jembrouillais, though standard spelling keeps the elision (j'embrouillais). The related noun embrouillage (or embrouillement) denotes the act or state of muddling.

In usage, j'embrouillais can appear in autobiographical or humorous contexts to express past patterns of confusion, or to describe situations where information or arrangements became tangled. It is largely regional and informal, and might be heard in oral speech, in rap lyrics, or in social media discourse. The expression often carries a self-deprecating tone, signaling awareness of past confusion rather than intent to deceive.

Examples: "Quand j'étais jeune, j'embrouillais tout autour de moi sans m'en rendre compte." "Le texte utilise le mot j'embrouillais pour jouer sur la répétition et l'ironie." See also embrouiller, embrouillage, confusion.