Baffled by Baffles

I've heard French people exclaim "Baf!" since I was a wee little lad.  I was always interpreted it to mean something along the lines of "whatever" or, at the very least, a dismissive exclamation.

I've long known that to be baffled by something is to be perplexed by it, confused by it, etc.

I've also known that a baffle is a device used to redirect or frustrate the flow of light, noise, fluid, or heat.

The o.g. use is apparently for fire:

Well, as often is the case, these sounds/words are actually related.  It all came together for me suddenly while Isabelle was driving us home and I changed the flow of warm air from our feet to the windshield to get rid of the condensation.  I referred to it as changing the orientation of the baffles inside the air ducts of the car, but then I quickly confessed "I'm not sure I used that word correctly..."

Knowing the origins of words is like understanding the mathematics behind phenomena:  rather than being perplexed and frustrated and diverted by looking at things the wrong way, you can just look at the underlying symmetries and relationships.  From this new perspective it's all so simple as to warrant a mere "Bah, humbug!"

(Scrooge was, indeed, baffled by Christmas, wasn't he?)