Joulujakson hulvattomat blooperit ja sekoilut

What does “sekoilu” mean in Finnish?

This bloopers reel promises “blooperit ja sekoilut,” bloopers and sekoilut. Sekoilu (plural sekoilut) means goofing around, antics, larking about, the affectionate Finnish word for people happily losing the plot. It comes from the verb sekoilla, “to mess about, to act up,” itself from sekaisin, “in a muddle.”

Notice the family: sekoittaa means “to mix” or “to confuse,” while sekoilla is to behave chaotically. The clip is outtakes from Vain elämää, Finland’s hugely popular music show where artists cover one another’s songs and, off camera, dissolve into sekoilu. Learn it and you can describe any joyful chaos in Finnish.