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I saw this from a movie. Put up some baffling. What is the meaning of this? I know that baffling means something that close to confusing. But here I don't get the meaning.

EDIT:

If I take an excerpt, This phrase is from Avengers, age of Ultron:

Reroute everything.

We get one shot at this.

I know what I need to do.

The dining room.

If I knock out that easy wall, I'd make a nice workspace for Laura, huh?

Put up some baffling.

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  • Your automobile's exhaust has baffling in the muffler to dampen noise. Mechanically speaking, baffling is something that obstructs and redirects a path.
    – user150753
    Commented Sep 21, 2019 at 10:18
  • You should give a lot more context because it is ambiguous. What movie? What scene? Is that an exact quote or one from memory? What was the situation? Are they installing insulation against sound? Are they talking about military tactics?
    – Mitch
    Commented Sep 21, 2019 at 11:17
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    'Baffling' could be acoustic hanging baffles, which are panels suspended perpendicular to the ceiling, used to improve acoustics inside a building.
    – Michael Harvey
    Commented Sep 21, 2019 at 11:57
  • Look up the word in a good dictionary for its noun use. Good Luck.
    – Kris
    Commented Sep 21, 2019 at 14:13
  • Though I've answered as I feel this sense of 'baffling' is not easy to find in dictionaries, some evidence of attempts is required on ELU, XPD (even if it's just attributed links to a couple of dictionaries and the explanation 'not found in these').
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Sep 21, 2019 at 15:45

1 Answer 1

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Yes, this usage is not that easy to find.

'Baffling' in this sense corresponds to these senses of

baffle: ...

n.

  1. A usually static device that regulates the flow of a fluid or light.

  2. A partition that prevents interference between sound waves in a loudspeaker.

[AHD]

and focuses more on the material / construction of the baffle.

A baffle (count noun) is something intended to regulate (perhaps moderate) flow (of perhaps sound, wind); baffling (not used with numerals) is the construction material involved. Baffling may be easily workable material, but if it is to be 'put up', it's obviously something more substantial here.

[post edit] It will doubtless be some noise-reducing material here.

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  • marcellothearcane Over-familiarity; it's OP's username (and vocatives are '[be] nice').. I'm not used to finding a question I feel I can validly give an 'answer' to nowadays.
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Sep 21, 2019 at 15:42
  • Oh, so it is! Didn't notice that.
    – marcellothearcane
    Commented Sep 21, 2019 at 18:28
  • Thanks Edwin for explaining the meaning!.
    – XPD
    Commented Sep 21, 2019 at 20:17
  • Baffling is not "material involved" it's the gerundized form as in "shuttering," "scaffolding," ....
    – Kris
    Commented Sep 22, 2019 at 12:28

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