Bamboozle

For no reason at all, I thought of the word "bamboozle" this morning.  Well, I knew what it was--it's to trick or deceive someone.  But where does it come from?

Thefreedictionary.com plays it safe--origin unknown.  The Online Etymology Dictionary traces the word to 1703, and speculates that it may be from the Scottish or from the French word  embabouiner "to make a fool (lit. 'baboon') of."

I vote for the French word--making a baboon of someone is an image that could easily last three centuries!