What is the meaning of the word "fumfered"?

Question

I need the dictionary meaning of this verb. I tried most online dictionaries and it doesn't work. Here's how it is used in a sentence.
"Uh, well," he fumfered "You're right. Where's the girl? Shouldn't she apologize too?"

Also, if you can, please find the dictionary meaning of the word "vator." It is used in the sentence as follows:
"I handed the syglass back to the vator"

Answer 1

Fumfer (also phumpher) is Yiddish. It means to stall or evade a question, remark, etc, by mumbling & fumbling words on purpose.


re: VATOR

By the context of the phrase you quoted I am guessing that "vator" is probably a misspelling of "viator" which is a traveler.
If not "viator", then I have no clue. "Vator" isn't a word of any sort.

Answer 2

There's a trick: don't go direct to dictionaries.
Just Google it as a site reference -- then be directed to sites that DO list your enquiry,

Doing so produced [e-mail] which produced the Yiddish origins meaning "to mumble" and later mutations of meaning to "evade/obfuscate".
Both these applications fit your example which unfortunately may not have been the best as "puzzled" or "fulminated" are suggested by the context.

"Vator" I found no RELEVANT references to.
I suspect it is the victim of typographical deletion of an apostrophe of contraction preceding it. This would indicate that it was a suffix contraction of a word like innovator, or observator.

I hope this helps.

Answer 3

Fumfering

Answer 4

sounds like creative license. The author made up a word and hopes to see it 'catch on'.