duffn.¹

Brit.

/dʌf/, U.S.

/dəf/

Origin: Probably a variant or alteration of another lexical item. Etymons: English duff , dough n.

Etymology: Probably a transferred use of duff, variant of dough n. (compare duff n.⁴). Compare later duff n.³

Coal in the form of small particles and dust; small coal, slack. Also duff coal.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > materials > fuel > coal or types of coal > [noun] > small, refuse, impure, or coal-dust

slackc1440

smith coal1466

smithy coal1482

coal dusta1529

panwood1531

smith's coal1578

kirving1599

culm1603

coom1611

small coal1643

smit1670

smut1686

slag1695

duff1724

duff coal1724

small1780

gum1790

stinking coal1803

cobbles1811

nubbling1825

stinkers1841

rubble1844

pea1855

nuts1857

nut coal1861

slap1865

burgee1867

smudge1883

waste1883

treble1901

coal smut1910

gumming1938

nutty slack1953

1724 R. Hall Observ. Methods used in Holland 62 (caption) The Pott with Duff-coal to melt the Wax-thread, when laping in the Splits.

1843 Newcastle Jrnl. 22 Apr. 2/8 It appears that the plan of using duff, or small coal, for fuel, was discovered by Dr. Reid Clanny, of Sunderland.

1887 Pall Mall Gaz. 2 Nov. 6/1 One ton of common duff coal..has generated as much steam as two tons of good bituminous coal.

1925 H. M. Cadell Rocks W. Lothian 353 The mixed coal from the pit is now cleaned, washed, separated out and classified into round coal, ‘nuts’ of various sizes, ‘pearls’ and ‘duff’.

1996 Mining Mag. (Nexis) Oct. 206 Anglovaal has established Duffco to produce low-smoke, low-smell briquettes from duff coal for household use.

2010 G. Blight Geotechnical Engin. for Mine Waste Storage Facilities v. 176 The duff had a loose dry density of 770 kg/m³.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

duffn.²

Brit.

/dʌf/, U.S.

/dəf/

Origin: Apparently formed within English, by back-formation. Etymon: duffer n.¹

Etymology: Apparently a back-formation < duffer n.¹ Compare earlier duff v.¹, duffing n.¹, later duff adj., and perhaps also duffer n.²

slang. Now rare.

Something worthless or fake; counterfeit money; smuggled goods. Cf. duffer n.¹ 1, dud n.¹ 5.In quot. 1879: the passing off or selling of such things.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > forgery, falsification > [noun] > something false or forged

falsehood1340

counterfeiture1548

forgery1574

bastard1581

man of straw1599

counterfeit1613

imitationa1616

mock1646

pasteboard1648

sophistication1664

imposture1699

fraud1725

sham1728

adulteration1756

falsity1780

duff1781

shim-sham1797

shammy1822

Hodge-razor1843

pinchbeck1847

shice1859

cook-up1865

postiche1876

fakery1880

fake1883

bogosity1893

spuriosity1894

dud1897

cluck1904

rake-up1957

bodgie1988

1781 G. Parker View Society & Manners II. 158 Sham leggers. The duff. Whispering dudders.

1879 Macmillan's Mag. 40 502/1 Men at the duff (passing false jewellery).

1892 Atchison (Kansas) Daily Globe 20 Apr. I want the ‘duff’, the ‘wherewithal’, don't you know; the ‘rhino’, the ‘boodle’; plain, ordinary, everyday cash, pop, that's what I want.

1895 H. L. Williams Love & Lockjaw 7 Lucky my money won't do him any good. It is duff that I carry for a hold-up.

1935 ‘G. Ingram’ Cockney Cavalcade viii. 120 ‘That's all duff,’ he proceeded. The announcement that so much was rubbish, as it consisted of imitation jewellery [etc.].

1949 D. Sinclair Secret Riders Farm vi. 60 There was a short silence before Mike declared in somewhat ruffled tones, ‘You don't think we're giving you the duff?’

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

duffn.³

Brit.

/dʌf/, U.S.

/dəf/

Forms: 1800s dufe (Scottish), 1800s– duff, 1900s– doaf (Irish English (northern)), 1900s– dowf (Irish English (northern)).

Origin: Probably a variant or alteration of another lexical item. Etymons: English duff , dough n.

Etymology: Probably a transferred use of duff, variant of dough n. (compare duff n.⁴). Compare slightly later dowf adj. 6b and the discussion of variants at that entry. Compare earlier duff n.¹

1. Scottish and U.S. Soft or spongy matter covering the ground, esp. decaying vegetable matter (fallen leaves, etc.) covering a forest floor; leaf mould. Also more fully duffmould, leaf duff. Also (Scottish and Irish English (northern)): a soft and spongy kind of peat; a mass or piece of such peat. Cf. perhaps dowf adj. 6b.

ΚΠ

1822 S. Hibbert Descr. Shetland Islands 415 The wet stratum is..covered with a layer of duffmould, or dry decomposed moss.

1825 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Suppl. (at cited word) Dufe, a soft spungy peat.

1844 W. H. Maxwell Wanderings in Highlands & Islands I. xvi. 289 Dung, mixed with duff-mould.

1878 Pop. Sci. Monthly 13 289 This duff (composed of rotten spruce-trees, cones, needles, etc.) has the power of holding water almost equal to a sponge.

1886 Rep. Forest Comm. State N.Y. 102 I have seen the smoke from fires in the duff even after the snow has fallen.

1922 Jrnl. Forestry 20 242 The most characteristic feature of the spruce root systems is the exceedingly fine and complete fibrous network which it forms in the duff of the forest floor.

1970 J. H. B. Peel Country Talk iii. 46 Frost and rain have rubbled the soil into a duff.

1984 T. Horton Bay Country (1987) 20 The force of rainstorms was diffused through multiple stories of leaves and branches: and what fell to the ground, fell upon a centuries-old accumulation of leaf duff.

1995 J. Fenton Hamely Tongue 45 Doaf, a soft, spongy mass (esp. owl saft doafs o' peats the poorest type of flow peats).

2005 New Yorker 14 Feb. 221/2 The forest floor consisted of a soft duff of rotting redwood foliage.

†2. Scottish. Any soft or spongy substance. Obsolete.

ΚΠ

1825 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Suppl. Dufe, the soft or spungy part of a loaf, turnip, new cheese, &c.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

duffn.⁴

Brit.

/dʌf/, U.S.

/dəf/

Origin: A variant or alteration of another lexical item. Etymon: dough n.

Etymology: Originally a northern variant of dough n., now distinguished in form in the sense below. Compare earlier doughboy n. 1.Evidence for duff as a (typically northern) pronunciation of dough n. is attested from at least the end of the 17th cent.; this pronunciation appears to have become particularly associated with the speech of sailors. Compare:1700 R. Brown English-school Reformed 80 Writ. Dough. Sounded. Duff.1829 R. P. Gillies Tales Voyager to Arctic Ocean 2nd Ser. I. 20 The sea-pie is a compound of flesh, fowl, and vegetables, incased in a crust of dough (or as seamen will have it, ‘duff’).

Originally Nautical slang.

A boiled or steamed sweet pudding, usually containing fruit, and made in a bag. Cf. plum duff n.Recorded earliest in duff bag n. at Compounds.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > puddings > [noun] > a pudding

pudding?1543

duff1828

1828 Paisley Mag. 1 Aug. 409 Can't you spake asy, man? To be sure it is, and his hide as tight as ever you saw a duff-bag on its way from ould Mosley's coppers.

1829 J. Shipp Mem. Mil. Career I. ii. 51 I retreated to a solitary shed to eat my duff (the name by which this description of pudding was well known among us).

?a1855 J. P. Robson Wor Mally Torned Bloomer in Songs of Tyne: No. 9 4 Aw wesh'd the currans—meyd the duff.

1872 C. King Mountaineering in Sierra Nevada vii. 139 Crowning the repast with a duff, accurately globular.

1917 A. G. Empey Over Top vii. 50 He said that the raisins were to be turned over to the cook for ‘duff’ (plum pudding).

1950 ‘C. S. Forester’ Mr. Midshipman Hornblower 234 The meringues and macaroons, the custards and the fruits, were ecstasy for a young man whose last pudding had been currant duff last Sunday.

2009 Westmorland Gaz. (Nexis) 16 Mar. Dessert is apple duff and ice cream.

Compounds

duff bag n. Navy slang (now historical) a heavy-duty cloth bag for boiling puddings, having a looped cord around its neck used for closure and to remove the cooked pudding from boiling water; (hence) something resembling this bag or its means of closure, esp. a handle formed by tying the ends of a neckerchief to the tapes of a jumper (jumper n.² 1), used as a means of rescuing a sailor from water.

ΚΠ

1828Duff-bag [see main sense].

1850 H. Melville White-jacket xv. 96 After this, I grew desperate; despised popularity; returned scorn for scorn; till at length my week expired, and in the duff-bag I transferred the keys of office to the next man on the roll.

1883 Chambers's Jrnl. 142 The sailors' duffbags.

1909 Sunset Mag. 22 178/1 He was leaning from the bridge, guiding the descent of a little canvas duff bag which he was lowering by means of a line, over the ship's side.

1944 J. Irving Naval Life & Customs ii. 28 Moving further down the sailor's body we come to the twin tapes which secure his jumper at the breast and also confine the ‘duff-bag’ of his knotted silk square.

1967 A. Covey-Crump Gloss. Naval Terms (new ed.) at Silk A square of black silk 36″ square, worn with two diagonally opposite corners knotted together (the knot being worn at the back of the neck beneath the collar, and bight (known as a ‘Duff Bag’) being secured in the tapes of the jumper), so that a drowning man's rescuer would have an efficient handgrip.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

duffn.⁵

Brit.

/dʌf/, U.S.

/dəf/

Origin: Of uncertain origin.

Etymology: Origin uncertain; perhaps related to duff n.⁴

colloquial (chiefly North American and British regional).

The buttocks; the backside.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > external parts of body > trunk > back > buttock(s) > [noun]

flitcha700

arse-endseOE

culec1220

buttockc1300

tail1303

toutec1305

nagea1325

fundamentc1325

tail-end1377

brawna1382

buma1387

bewschers?a1400

crouponc1400

rumplec1430

lendc1440

nachec1440

luddocka1475

rearwarda1475

croupc1475

rumpc1475

dock1508

hurdies1535

bunc1538

sitting place1545

bottom?c1550

prat1567

nates1581

backside1593

crupper1594

posteriorums1596

catastrophe1600

podex1601

posterior1605

seat1607

poop1611

stern1631

cheek1639

breeka1642

doup1653

bumkin1658

bumfiddle1661

assa1672

butt1675

quarter1678

foundation1681

toby1681

bung1691

rear1716

fud1722

moon1756

derrière1774

rass1790

stern-post1810

sit-down1812

hinderland1817

hinderling1817

nancy1819

ultimatum1823

behinda1830

duff?1837

botty1842

rear end1851

latter end1852

hinder?1857

sit1862

sit-me-down1866

stern-works1879

tuchus1886

jacksy-pardy1891

sit-upon1910

can1913

truck-end1913

sitzfleisch1916

B.T.M.1919

fanny1919

bot1922

heinie1922

beam1929

yas yas1929

keister1931

batty1935

bim1935

arse-end1937

twat1937

okole1938

bahookie1939

bohunkus1941

quoit1941

patoot1942

rusty-dusty1942

dinger1943

jacksie1943

zatch1950

ding1957

booty1959

patootie1959

buns1960

wazoo1961

tush1962

?1837 Ri-tum Ti-fum Songster 22 Lay her on her duff, then,..her belly white to kiss.

1857 Coal Hole Compan. Fourth Coll. 30 Her duff she up and down did jerk, Did frisky Nancy Dawson.

1888 S. O. Addy Gloss. Words Sheffield 67 Duff, the fundament.

1942 in G. Legman Rationale of Dirty Joke (1975) II. 407 Otherwise she'd fall on her duff.

1966 Lowell (Mass.) Sun 3 Jan. 20/2 He hasn't been off his duff, hardly, since I got him as a fledgling.

1991 Observer 12 May 20/7 The people were about to sling her out on her duff.

2014 Globe & Mail (Canada) (Nexis) 5 Dec. l4 At Christmas and birthdays, all the other men in my family..literally and figuratively sit on their duffs because their wives..shop for presents.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

duffn.⁷

Brit.

/dʌf/, U.S.

/dəf/, Australian English

/dʌf/

Origin: Of uncertain origin.

Etymology: Origin uncertain; perhaps related to duff n.⁴, which would make the expression up the duff analogous to similar slang phrases for pregnancy, such as to have a bun in the oven (see a bun in the oven at bun n.² a) and in the pudding club (see pudding club n. at pudding n. Compounds 2). Alternatively, perhaps compare English regional (Shropshire) duff stomach:1841 C. H. Hartshorne Salopia Antiqua 396 Dough,..pronounced duff..the stomach. Ex. ‘Peg him in his dough.’

colloquial (originally Australian).

up the duff: pregnant.

ΚΠ

1941 S. J. Baker Pop. Dict. Austral. Slang Duff, up the (of a woman), pregnant.

1948 D. Ballantyne Cunninghams xxiv. 123 What did a man live for? Was it to marry a girl, put her up the duff, slave until the pains came, and then wait for death?

1966 J. Gaskell All Neat in Black Stockings (1968) 68 She has no cravings like girls usually have when they're up the duff.

2015 Daily Mirror (Nexis) 4 Jan. 39 Sam's up the duff, but hasn't yet told Foyle.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

duffadj.

Brit.

/dʌf/, U.S.

/dəf/

Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: duff n.²

Etymology: < duff n.² Compare earlier duffed adj.¹, duffing n.¹, and duffing adj.¹

colloquial (originally and chiefly British).

1. Originally of money: fake, counterfeit; not genuine.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > forgery, falsification > [adjective]

counterfeitedc1385

counterfeitc1386

trothlessa1393

bastard1397

forged1484

apocryphate1486

adulterate?a1509

mockisha1513

sophisticate1531

adulterine1542

adulterous1547

mock1548

forbate1558

coined1582

firking1594

feigned1598

adulterated1610

apocryphal1612

spurious1615

usurpeda1616

impostured1619

mock-madea1625

suppository1641

affictitious1656

pasteboard1659

sophisticated1673

flam1678

Brummagem1679

sham1681

belieda1718

fictitious1739

Birmingham1785

pinchbeck1790

brummish1803

Brum1805

flash1812

spurious1830

bogus1839

imitative1839

dummy1846

doctored1853

postiche1854

pseudo1854

Brummagemish1855

snide1859

inauthentic1860

fake1879

bum1884

Brummie1886

tin1886

filled1887

duff1889

faked1890

shicec1890

margarine1891

dud1904

Potemkin village1904

mocked-up1919

phoney baloney1936

four-flushing1942

bodgie1956

moody1958

disauthentic1960

bodgied1988

bodgied-up1988

1889 A. Barrère & C. G. Leland Dict. Slang I. 336/2 Duff (thieves), spurious.

1910 Sessions Paper CLIV. 24 Nov. 82 I rang it [sc. a coin] on the counter; he said ‘Break it up—it is duff.’

1984 ‘J. Gash’ Gondola Scam (1985) iv. 29 She bid a fortune for the fake even though she knew it was duff.

1992 L. Davis Iron Hand of Mars (2011) 64 I've been slipped some duff coins, Falco—cut in quarters and halves!

2. More generally: worthless, useless, inadequate, poor. Cf. dud adj.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > importance > unimportance > [adjective] > worthless

naughteOE

unworthc960

nought worthOE

unworthya1240

vaina1300

lewd1362

base?1510

to be nothing toc1520

stark naught1528

nothing worth1535

worthilessa1542

draffish1543

baggage1548

dunghill?1555

valureless1563

toyish1572

worthless1573

out (forth) of door (also doors)1574

leaden1577

riff-raff1577

drafty1582

fecklessc1586

dudgeon?1589

nought-worth1589

tenpenny1592

wanwordy?a1595

shotten herring1598

nugatory1603

unvalued1604

priceless1614

unvaluable1615

valuelessa1616

waste1616

trashya1620

draffy1624

stramineous1624

invaluable1640

roly-poly?1645

nugatorious1646

perquisquilian1647

niffling1649

lazy1671

wanworth1724

little wortha1754

flimsy1756

waff1788

null1790

nothingy1801

nothingly1802

twopenny-halfpenny1809

not worth a flaw1810

garbage1817

peanut1836

duffing1839

trash1843

no-account1845

no-count1851

punky1859

rummagy1872

junky1880

skilligalee1883

footle1894

punk1896

wherry-go-nimble1901

junk1908

rinky-dink1913

schlock1916

tripe1927

duff1938

chickenshit1940

sheg-up1941

expendable1942

(strictly) for the birds1943

tripey1955

schlocky1960

naff1964

dipshit1968

cack1978

1938 ‘J. Curtis’ They drive by Night iv. 47 ‘Duff old machines these,’ said a driver... ‘Whyn't they get some new'uns?’

1942 Spectator 30 Oct. 405/2 Airmen spend a great deal of time and energy trying to obtain advance information.., ‘gen’ which usually turns out to be thoroughly inaccurate, and is thereupon disappointedly stigmatised as ‘duff gen’.

1956 R. Robinson Landscape with Dead Dons ix. 79 Pity we got off to a duff start.

1965 ‘J. Lymington’ Green Drift i. 8 I went down to the pub because the play was so duff.

2005 New Statesman 17 Mar. 22 (heading) If the credit bubble bursts, banks could find they've not made enough provision for bad loans and duff investments.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

duffv.¹

Brit.

/dʌf/, U.S.

/dəf/

Forms: 1800s duft (past tense), 1800s– duff.

Origin: Apparently formed within English, by back-formation. Etymon: duffer n.¹

Etymology: Apparently a back-formation < duffer n.¹ Compare slightly earlier duffing n.¹, and compare also duff n.², duffing adj.¹ Perhaps compare also duffer n.² 2.

†1. transitive. slang. To sell or peddle (something) under the pretence of offering something valuable that has been smuggled or stolen. Later also: to alter the appearance of (something for sale) in a deceptive or misleading way, esp. so as to make it appear new or of superior quality; to fake, forge, counterfeit. Also occasionally intransitive. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > dissimulation, pretence > semblance, outward show > present speciously [verb (transitive)] > improve appearance

paintc1390

set1540

daub1543

plaster1546

varnish1571

to gild over1574

adorn1589

parget1592

glaze1605

apparel1615

pranka1616

lustre1627

candidate1628

varnish1641

lacquer1688

whitewash1703

tinsel1748

duff1750

fineer1765

veneer1847

superficialize1851

gloss1879

window dress1913

beglamour1926

sportswash2012

1750 Proc. Old Bailey 7 Nov. 5/1 He took up the Trade of what is commonly called duffing Brandy, Tea, &c. about the Town, from House to House.

1786 Proc. Old Bailey 30 Aug. 1141/2 I have bought it [sc. a length of calico], says she, of a fair hair'd man that duffs on board a ship.

1851 H. Mayhew London Labour II. 70/2 Parrot duffing..is seldom carried on regularly by any one, for he will often duff cigars and other things in preference, or perhaps vend really smuggled and good cigars or tobacco.

1856 Melbourne Punch 1 (Cal. Apr., following p. 178) An auctioneer imprisoned for duffing a ring. He essayed to cheat his customer, but the latter got the ring assayed.

1866 All Year Round 12 May 421/2 They'll beg, and duff, and dodge about the West-end.

1870 31st Rep. Deputy Keeper Public Rec. p. vi, in Parl. Papers (C. 187) XXXIX. 1 Some of these..MSS. were so very bad that it would have been impossible to duff them.

1892 Edinb. Evening News 3 Mar. 2 A good deal of the old plate was ‘duffed’.

2. transitive. Australian slang. To alter the brands on (stolen cattle) in order to disguise their provenance; to steal (cattle) and then do this. Now chiefly historical.

ΚΠ

1857 Argus (Melbourne) 17 Mar. It came out that Norton had duffed the yearling filly about the same time.

1862 Western Post (Mudgee, New S. Wales) 13 Dec. 2/5 It would not be advisable to duff any more cattle.

1890 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Squatter's Dream xiv. 162 He'd think more of duffing a red heifer than all the money in the country.

1936 M. Franklin All that Swagger 118 He thought someone had duffed them [sc. steers].

1964 Penguin Bk. Austral. Ballads 88 And we'll duff the squatter's cattle.

2000 Ralph 7 July 21/4 If you duff a couple of sheep or cattle, what crime have you committed?

†3. transitive. slang. To cheat, do out of fraudulently. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > defrauding or swindling > perpetrate (a swindle) [verb (transitive)] > defraud or swindle > out of something

beguile1394

wrongc1484

delude1493

licka1500

to wipe a person's nose1577

uncle1585

cheat1597

cozen1602

to bob of1605

to bob out of1605

gull1612

foola1616

to set in the nick1616

to worm (a person) out of1617

shuffle1627

to baffle out of1652

chouse1654

trepan1662

bubble1668

trick1698

to bamboozle out of1705

fling1749

jockey1772

swindle1780

twiddle1825

to diddle out of1829

nig1829

to chisel out of1848

to beat out1851

nobble1852

duff1863

flim-flam1890

1863 G. A. Sala Strange Adventures Capt. Dangerous III. ix. 305 Allowing him to duff me out of a few score pieces at the game of Lansquenet.

†4. transitive. English regional (northern). To avoid, evade, dodge. Obsolete.

ΚΠ

1866 R. Hallam Wadsley Jack iii. 14 Sumhah or other he' duff'd trade's mark wi' one leg, for it wor streight.

1912 J. Malham-Dembleby Orig. Tales & Ballads Yorks. Dial. 51 Sha's duffed us sin t' forenoin when sha mun a passed wheer ye wor on t' moor.

†5. intransitive. Scottish and English regional (northern).

a. To change one's mind, withdraw, or back out from a venture or undertaking; to ‘chicken out’. Also with on. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > fear > cowardice or pusillanimity > be cowardly or show signs of cowardice [verb (intransitive)] > shirk or skulk

skulk1626

shirk1778

to funk out1859

duff1883

to chicken out1931

fink1966

wimp1981

cowardize2003

the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > reversal of or forsaking one's will or purpose > reverse or abandon one's purpose [verb (intransitive)]

wendOE

divert1430

to turn one's tale1525

relent1528

revolt1540

resile?a1597

crinkle1612

to throw in (or up) one's cards1688

to box the compass1714

to turn round1808

crawfish1848

to back down1849

duff1883

back-pedal1891

punk1920

back-track1947

to back off1961

the world > action or operation > inaction > not doing > abstaining or refraining from action > abstain or refrain from action [verb (intransitive)] > avoid > turn aside from a course of action > back out

resile1529

to back out1807

duff1883

duck1896

punk1920

squib1938

bug1952

weasel1956

to wuss out1976

1883 Weyvers awn Comic Olmenac (Pudsey) 19 Nah then, chaps, are ye reddy? t'rahm's crahded, an wun chap's been assing if ye've duft.

1883 T. Lees Easther's Gloss. Dial. Almondbury & Huddersfield (at cited word) ‘Tha's duff'd on it’, i.e. given in.

1886 J. Hartley Yorks. Tales 2nd Ser. 106 Rodger wor a bit ta'en aback, but he wor nooan gooin to duff, soa he shov'd his finger throo its lip an started off wi' her.

1923 G. Watson Roxburghshire Word-bk. 118 Duff, to draw back from a bargain or undertaking; to throw it up. Also ti duff on't.

b. To lose a competition deliberately. Obsolete.

ΚΠ

1923 G. Watson Roxburghshire Word-bk. 118 Duff, to refrain from exerting oneself to win a race, etc.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

duffv.²

Brit.

/dʌf/, U.S.

/dəf/

Origin: Of uncertain origin. Probably formed within English, by conversion. Etymons: English duff , dowf adj.; duff n.¹

Etymology: Origin uncertain; probably < duff, variant of dowf adj. (compare dowf adj. 5) or perhaps < duff n.¹ (compare the reference to dust in quot. 1876).

colloquial and English regional (northern). Now somewhat rare.

intransitive. With up: to become foggy or hazy.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > weather > cloud > mist > [verb (intransitive)]

thicka1000

thicken1784

duff1876

to come down1891

1876 F. K. Robinson Gloss. Words Whitby Duff up, to drift like road dust on a hot day.

1942 I. Gleed Arise to Conquer x. 94 The weather looks O.K... If it duffs up, Derek, give us a shower of Verey lights to show us the way to come home.

1960 D. Middleton Sky Suspended vii. 180 On the British aerodromes the pilots observed that the weather had ‘duffed up’, that is thick, low cloud was developing and there was a certain amount of ground haze.

2000 E. Weiss Chicken Run xi. 92 ‘But the weather duffed up,’ Fowler was saying excitedly.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

duffv.³

Brit.

/dʌf/, U.S.

/dəf/

Origin: Of uncertain origin. Perhaps a variant or alteration of another lexical item. Etymons: dowf v.; duff v.¹

Etymology: Origin uncertain; perhaps a specific use of a variant of dowf v. (compare dowf v. 2b), or perhaps a specific use of duff v.¹ (compare duff v.¹ 5). Compare earlier muff v.³ Perhaps compare also earlier duffer n.²

Originally and chiefly Golf.

transitive and intransitive. To perform (a shot) badly (sometimes spec.: see quot. 1897). Also in extended use: to make a mess of (something), to muff.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > ability > inability > unskilfulness > do something unskilfully [verb (intransitive)] > bungle

bungle1549

to put the wrong foot before1590

bebotch1609

to put one's foot in (also into) it1796

mess1823

boggle1853

to make a muff of oneself1884

duff1890

bobble1908

miscue1941

blow1943

to make a porridge (of)1969

sheg1981

the world > action or operation > ability > inability > unskilfulness > be unskilled in [verb (transitive)] > bungle

botch1530

bungle1530

mumble1588

muddle1605

mash1642

bumble?1719

to fall through ——1726

fuck1776

blunder1805

to make a mull of1821

bitch1823

mess1823

to make a mess of1834

smudge1864

to muck up1875

boss1887

to make balls of1889

duff1890

foozle1892

bollocks1901

fluff1902

to make a muck of1903

bobble1908

to ball up1911

jazz1914

boob1915

to make a hash of1920

muff1922

flub1924

to make a hat of1925

to ass up1932

louse1934

screw1938

blow1943

to foul up1943

eff1945

balls1947

to make a hames of1947

to arse up1951

to fuck up1967

dork1969

sheg1981

bodge1984

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > golf > play golf [verb (intransitive)] > types of stroke

putt1690

approach1887

duff1890

to drive the green1892

hack1893

sclaff1893

press1897

chip1903

bolt1909

to chip in1914

double-bogey1952

bogey1977

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > golf > play golf [verb (transitive)] > type of play or stroke

drive1743

draw1842

heel1857

hook1857

loft1857

founder1878

to top a ball1881

chip1889

duff1890

pull1890

slice1890

undercut1891

hack1893

toe1893

spoon1896

borrow1897

overdrive1900

trickle1902

bolt1909

niblick1909

socket1911

birdie1921

eagle1921

shank1925

explode1926

bird1930

three-putt1946

bogey1948

double-bogey1952

fade1953

1890 [implied in: Golf 5 Dec. 179/1 When we know the circumstances of genuine play, it is very easy to pass from them to the corresponding characteristics of every-day duffing. (at duffing n.²)].

1895 W. Dalrymple Handbk. Golf 3 The innate malignant tendency to duff and muff, and sclaff and miss, and top and heel and toe.

1897 Earl of Suffolk et al. Encycl. Sport I. 469/1 The verb ‘to duff’ does not mean..to play as a ‘duffer’ or hopelessly bad player, but simply to hit the ground first, behind the ball, so that the ball is struck with the upper edge of the face, and sent only a short way into the air.

1909 Westm. Gaz. 30 Apr. 12/2 Mayo duffed his approach.

1909 J. R. Ware Passing Eng. Victorian Era 119/2 ‘He duffs everything he touches.’ ‘He is the most duffing duffer that ever duffed.’

1927 Sunday Express 29 May 21/6 The ninth provided Landale's crowning error, for he duffed two mashie shots.

1992 Milwaukee (Wisconsin) Jrnl. 23 July c5/6 The pain was really excruciating when I went to hit the ball. I duffed two shots because of the pain.

2004 Golf Punk Dec. 39/2 Faced with a chip across the Valley of the Sin, the former factory worker stiffened every sinew and like a three-year-old gripping a golf club for the first time duffed his chip a matter of yards.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

duffv.⁴

Brit.

/dʌf/, U.S.

/dəf/

Origin: Of uncertain origin.

Etymology: Origin uncertain; compare earlier duff int., duff n.⁶, dowf v. 2a, and dowfing bout at dowf v. Derivatives.Compare 19th-cent. English regional (Cornwall) duff to knock, strike ( < duff n.⁶):a1863 J. T. Tregellas Cornish Tales (1868) 14 You're gone for ever in a wink, Duffed desmal like, and flat.

colloquial (originally and chiefly British).

transitive. Chiefly with up: to beat (a person) up, to thrash. Also in extended use.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > impact > striking > beating or repeated striking > beat [verb (transitive)] > specifically a person

to-beatc893

threshOE

bustc1225

to lay on or upon?c1225

berrya1250

to-bunea1250

touchc1330

arrayc1380

byfrapc1380

boxc1390

swinga1400

forbeatc1420

peal?a1425

routa1425

noddlea1450

forslinger1481

wipe1523

trima1529

baste1533

waulk1533

slip1535

peppera1550

bethwack1555

kembc1566

to beat (a person) black and blue1568

beswinge1568

paik1568

trounce1568

canvass1573

swaddle?1577

bebaste1582

besoop1589

bumfeage1589

dry-beat1589

feague1589

lamback1589

clapperclaw1590

thrash1593

belam1595

lam1595

beswaddle1598

bumfeagle1598

belabour1600

tew1600

flesh-baste1611

dust1612

feeze1612

mill1612

verberate1614

bethumpa1616

rebuke1619

bemaul1620

tabor1624

maula1627

batterfang1630

dry-baste1630

lambaste1637

thunder-thump1637

cullis1639

dry-banga1640

nuddle1640

sauce1651

feak1652

cotton1654

fustigate1656

brush1665

squab1668

raddle1677

to tan (a person's) hide1679

slam1691

bebump1694

to give (a person) his load1694

fag1699

towel1705

to kick a person's butt1741

fum1790

devel1807

bray1808

to beat (also scare, etc.) someone's daylights out1813

mug1818

to knock (a person) into the middle of next week1821

welt1823

hidea1825

slate1825

targe1825

wallop1825

pounce1827

to lay into1838

flake1841

muzzle1843

paste1846

looder1850

frail1851

snake1859

fettle1863

to do over1866

jacket1875

to knock seven kinds of —— out of (a person)1877

to take apart1880

splatter1881

to beat (knock, etc.) the tar out of1884

to —— the shit out of (a person or thing)1886

to do up1887

to —— (the) hell out of1887

to beat — bells out of a person1890

soak1892

to punch out1893

stoush1893

to work over1903

to beat up1907

to punch up1907

cream1929

shellac1930

to —— the bejesus out of (a person or thing)1931

duff1943

clobber1944

to fill in1948

to bash up1954

to —— seven shades of —— out of (a person or thing)1976

to —— seven shades out of (a person or thing)1983

beast1990

becurry-

fan-

1943 ‘R. Llewellyn’ None but Lonely Heart xxxi. 226 If he tried duffing my lamp, I'd set about duffing his.

1961 Technology May 131/1 Jeff and Bill was duffed up on saterday at st Albans drillhall.

1993 G. Donaldson Ville 304 My people duffed him up.

2001 Traveltrade (Austral.) (Nexis) 16 May Small carriers have a job not to be duffed up by the big boys.

2012 D. Essex Over the Moon ii. 24 One boy was duffed up for wearing brown winkle-pickers.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

duffint.n.⁶

Brit.

/dʌf/,

/dʊf/, U.S.

/dəf/,

/dʊf/

Origin: An imitative or expressive formation.

Etymology: Imitative of a dull blow. Compare earlier dowf n. 2.

A. int.

Representing the sound of a dull blow, thud, or drumbeat. Frequently reduplicated. Cf. doof int.

ΚΠ

1858 Jrnl. Royal Geogr. Soc. 28 322 Duff, duff, duff! bouncingly answered the bird, and duff, duff, duff! as bravely answered Bates.

1995 ‘Two Fingers’ & ‘J. T. Kirk’ Junglist (1997) 49 When you're EEEEing off your face and then tripping off your nut and the music goes: DUFF! DUFF! DUFF! DUFF!

1999 C. Creedon Passion Play xxvii. 242 He grabs your man by the hair, clings his face to the tiles... Then whamo off the sink and straight up, full force against the mirror... It was like, Duff! Duff! Duff! Three seconds. That's all it took. He falls to the floor.

2010 Southland Times (N.Z.) (Nexis) 6 Mar. 1 The no[i]siest nightclub was dead opposite. Duff, duff, duff!

B. n.⁶

1. A sound resembling that of such a blow; a thud. Usually reduplicated. Cf. doof n.², dowf n. 2.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > non-resonance > [noun] > non-resonant impact sound > thud

daud1596

sosh1687

soss1718

devel1787

dump1820

thud1825

duff1859

pob1871

thrump1871

clump1891

plonk1903

plodding1905

plup1911

wumph1913

whump1915

whomp1926

whumping1928

clonking1930

bonk1933

bonking1944

thuck1948

doof1989

1859 Titan 28 569/1 The skin which covers the drum-head..is relaxed, and the bold rowdy-dow becomes the husky and muffled ruff-duff-duff.

2003 Weekend Austral. (Nexis) 9 Mar. 20 I couldn't hear anythin' over the duff-duff blastin' out of the stereo.

2015 Hull Daily Mail (Nexis) 29 Dec. 3 For most people, Christmas television is a mix of festive films, comedy specials and the inevitable ‘duff duff’ before the EastEnders credits roll.

†2. English regional (esp. Cornwall). A blow, a thump. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific degree of force > [noun] > striking heavily > a heavy blow > and dull

thump1552

bump1582

dousea1600

dousta1627

dub1837

duff1866

1866 T. R. Higham Dial. between Two Cornish Miners 16 She gove Blondin a duff in the belly.

1895 J. Thomas Randigal Rhymes 82 Duff, a blow; a blow on a cow's udder with a calf's nose.

1899 H. Kingsford in Eng. Dial. Dict. (1900) II. 203/1 [South Worcestershire] 'E gen 'im a duff o' th' yud.

This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, September 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

n.¹1724

n.²1781

n.³1822

n.⁴1828

n.⁵?1837

n.⁷1941

adj.1889

v.¹1750

v.²1876

v.³1890

v.⁴1943

int.n.⁶1858

单词	duff
释义	duffn.¹ Brit. /dʌf/, U.S. /dəf/ Origin: Probably a variant or alteration of another lexical item. Etymons: English duff , dough n. Etymology: Probably a transferred use of duff, variant of dough n. (compare duff n.⁴). Compare later duff n.³ Coal in the form of small particles and dust; small coal, slack. Also duff coal. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > fuel > coal or types of coal > [noun] > small, refuse, impure, or coal-dust slackc1440 smith coal1466 smithy coal1482 coal dusta1529 panwood1531 smith's coal1578 kirving1599 culm1603 coom1611 small coal1643 smit1670 smut1686 slag1695 duff1724 duff coal1724 small1780 gum1790 stinking coal1803 cobbles1811 nubbling1825 stinkers1841 rubble1844 pea1855 nuts1857 nut coal1861 slap1865 burgee1867 smudge1883 waste1883 treble1901 coal smut1910 gumming1938 nutty slack1953 1724 R. Hall Observ. Methods used in Holland 62 (caption) The Pott with Duff-coal to melt the Wax-thread, when laping in the Splits. 1843 Newcastle Jrnl. 22 Apr. 2/8 It appears that the plan of using duff, or small coal, for fuel, was discovered by Dr. Reid Clanny, of Sunderland. 1887 Pall Mall Gaz. 2 Nov. 6/1 One ton of common duff coal..has generated as much steam as two tons of good bituminous coal. 1925 H. M. Cadell Rocks W. Lothian 353 The mixed coal from the pit is now cleaned, washed, separated out and classified into round coal, ‘nuts’ of various sizes, ‘pearls’ and ‘duff’. 1996 Mining Mag. (Nexis) Oct. 206 Anglovaal has established Duffco to produce low-smoke, low-smell briquettes from duff coal for household use. 2010 G. Blight Geotechnical Engin. for Mine Waste Storage Facilities v. 176 The duff had a loose dry density of 770 kg/m³. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022). duffn.² Brit. /dʌf/, U.S. /dəf/ Origin: Apparently formed within English, by back-formation. Etymon: duffer n.¹ Etymology: Apparently a back-formation < duffer n.¹ Compare earlier duff v.¹, duffing n.¹, later duff adj., and perhaps also duffer n.² slang. Now rare. Something worthless or fake; counterfeit money; smuggled goods. Cf. duffer n.¹ 1, dud n.¹ 5.In quot. 1879: the passing off or selling of such things. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > forgery, falsification > [noun] > something false or forged falsehood1340 counterfeiture1548 forgery1574 bastard1581 man of straw1599 counterfeit1613 imitationa1616 mock1646 pasteboard1648 sophistication1664 imposture1699 fraud1725 sham1728 adulteration1756 falsity1780 duff1781 shim-sham1797 shammy1822 Hodge-razor1843 pinchbeck1847 shice1859 cook-up1865 postiche1876 fakery1880 fake1883 bogosity1893 spuriosity1894 dud1897 cluck1904 rake-up1957 bodgie1988 1781 G. Parker View Society & Manners II. 158 Sham leggers. The duff. Whispering dudders. 1879 Macmillan's Mag. 40 502/1 Men at the duff (passing false jewellery). 1892 Atchison (Kansas) Daily Globe 20 Apr. I want the ‘duff’, the ‘wherewithal’, don't you know; the ‘rhino’, the ‘boodle’; plain, ordinary, everyday cash, pop, that's what I want. 1895 H. L. Williams Love & Lockjaw 7 Lucky my money won't do him any good. It is duff that I carry for a hold-up. 1935 ‘G. Ingram’ Cockney Cavalcade viii. 120 ‘That's all duff,’ he proceeded. The announcement that so much was rubbish, as it consisted of imitation jewellery [etc.]. 1949 D. Sinclair Secret Riders Farm vi. 60 There was a short silence before Mike declared in somewhat ruffled tones, ‘You don't think we're giving you the duff?’ This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022). duffn.³ Brit. /dʌf/, U.S. /dəf/ Forms: 1800s dufe (Scottish), 1800s– duff, 1900s– doaf (Irish English (northern)), 1900s– dowf (Irish English (northern)). Origin: Probably a variant or alteration of another lexical item. Etymons: English duff , dough n. Etymology: Probably a transferred use of duff, variant of dough n. (compare duff n.⁴). Compare slightly later dowf adj. 6b and the discussion of variants at that entry. Compare earlier duff n.¹ 1. Scottish and U.S. Soft or spongy matter covering the ground, esp. decaying vegetable matter (fallen leaves, etc.) covering a forest floor; leaf mould. Also more fully duffmould, leaf duff. Also (Scottish and Irish English (northern)): a soft and spongy kind of peat; a mass or piece of such peat. Cf. perhaps dowf adj. 6b. ΚΠ 1822 S. Hibbert Descr. Shetland Islands 415 The wet stratum is..covered with a layer of duffmould, or dry decomposed moss. 1825 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Suppl. (at cited word) Dufe, a soft spungy peat. 1844 W. H. Maxwell Wanderings in Highlands & Islands I. xvi. 289 Dung, mixed with duff-mould. 1878 Pop. Sci. Monthly 13 289 This duff (composed of rotten spruce-trees, cones, needles, etc.) has the power of holding water almost equal to a sponge. 1886 Rep. Forest Comm. State N.Y. 102 I have seen the smoke from fires in the duff even after the snow has fallen. 1922 Jrnl. Forestry 20 242 The most characteristic feature of the spruce root systems is the exceedingly fine and complete fibrous network which it forms in the duff of the forest floor. 1970 J. H. B. Peel Country Talk iii. 46 Frost and rain have rubbled the soil into a duff. 1984 T. Horton Bay Country (1987) 20 The force of rainstorms was diffused through multiple stories of leaves and branches: and what fell to the ground, fell upon a centuries-old accumulation of leaf duff. 1995 J. Fenton Hamely Tongue 45 Doaf, a soft, spongy mass (esp. owl saft doafs o' peats the poorest type of flow peats). 2005 New Yorker 14 Feb. 221/2 The forest floor consisted of a soft duff of rotting redwood foliage. †2. Scottish. Any soft or spongy substance. Obsolete. ΚΠ 1825 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Suppl. Dufe, the soft or spungy part of a loaf, turnip, new cheese, &c. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022). duffn.⁴ Brit. /dʌf/, U.S. /dəf/ Origin: A variant or alteration of another lexical item. Etymon: dough n. Etymology: Originally a northern variant of dough n., now distinguished in form in the sense below. Compare earlier doughboy n. 1.Evidence for duff as a (typically northern) pronunciation of dough n. is attested from at least the end of the 17th cent.; this pronunciation appears to have become particularly associated with the speech of sailors. Compare:1700 R. Brown English-school Reformed 80 Writ. Dough. Sounded. Duff.1829 R. P. Gillies Tales Voyager to Arctic Ocean 2nd Ser. I. 20 The sea-pie is a compound of flesh, fowl, and vegetables, incased in a crust of dough (or as seamen will have it, ‘duff’). Originally Nautical slang. A boiled or steamed sweet pudding, usually containing fruit, and made in a bag. Cf. plum duff n.Recorded earliest in duff bag n. at Compounds. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > puddings > [noun] > a pudding pudding?1543 duff1828 1828 Paisley Mag. 1 Aug. 409 Can't you spake asy, man? To be sure it is, and his hide as tight as ever you saw a duff-bag on its way from ould Mosley's coppers. 1829 J. Shipp Mem. Mil. Career I. ii. 51 I retreated to a solitary shed to eat my duff (the name by which this description of pudding was well known among us). ?a1855 J. P. Robson Wor Mally Torned Bloomer in Songs of Tyne: No. 9 4 Aw wesh'd the currans—meyd the duff. 1872 C. King Mountaineering in Sierra Nevada vii. 139 Crowning the repast with a duff, accurately globular. 1917 A. G. Empey Over Top vii. 50 He said that the raisins were to be turned over to the cook for ‘duff’ (plum pudding). 1950 ‘C. S. Forester’ Mr. Midshipman Hornblower 234 The meringues and macaroons, the custards and the fruits, were ecstasy for a young man whose last pudding had been currant duff last Sunday. 2009 Westmorland Gaz. (Nexis) 16 Mar. Dessert is apple duff and ice cream. Compounds duff bag n. Navy slang (now historical) a heavy-duty cloth bag for boiling puddings, having a looped cord around its neck used for closure and to remove the cooked pudding from boiling water; (hence) something resembling this bag or its means of closure, esp. a handle formed by tying the ends of a neckerchief to the tapes of a jumper (jumper n.² 1), used as a means of rescuing a sailor from water. ΚΠ 1828Duff-bag [see main sense]. 1850 H. Melville White-jacket xv. 96 After this, I grew desperate; despised popularity; returned scorn for scorn; till at length my week expired, and in the duff-bag I transferred the keys of office to the next man on the roll. 1883 Chambers's Jrnl. 142 The sailors' duffbags. 1909 Sunset Mag. 22 178/1 He was leaning from the bridge, guiding the descent of a little canvas duff bag which he was lowering by means of a line, over the ship's side. 1944 J. Irving Naval Life & Customs ii. 28 Moving further down the sailor's body we come to the twin tapes which secure his jumper at the breast and also confine the ‘duff-bag’ of his knotted silk square. 1967 A. Covey-Crump Gloss. Naval Terms (new ed.) at Silk A square of black silk 36″ square, worn with two diagonally opposite corners knotted together (the knot being worn at the back of the neck beneath the collar, and bight (known as a ‘Duff Bag’) being secured in the tapes of the jumper), so that a drowning man's rescuer would have an efficient handgrip. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022). duffn.⁵ Brit. /dʌf/, U.S. /dəf/ Origin: Of uncertain origin. Etymology: Origin uncertain; perhaps related to duff n.⁴ colloquial (chiefly North American and British regional). The buttocks; the backside. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > external parts of body > trunk > back > buttock(s) > [noun] flitcha700 arse-endseOE culec1220 buttockc1300 tail1303 toutec1305 nagea1325 fundamentc1325 tail-end1377 brawna1382 buma1387 bewschers?a1400 crouponc1400 rumplec1430 lendc1440 nachec1440 luddocka1475 rearwarda1475 croupc1475 rumpc1475 dock1508 hurdies1535 bunc1538 sitting place1545 bottom?c1550 prat1567 nates1581 backside1593 crupper1594 posteriorums1596 catastrophe1600 podex1601 posterior1605 seat1607 poop1611 stern1631 cheek1639 breeka1642 doup1653 bumkin1658 bumfiddle1661 assa1672 butt1675 quarter1678 foundation1681 toby1681 bung1691 rear1716 fud1722 moon1756 derrière1774 rass1790 stern-post1810 sit-down1812 hinderland1817 hinderling1817 nancy1819 ultimatum1823 behinda1830 duff?1837 botty1842 rear end1851 latter end1852 hinder?1857 sit1862 sit-me-down1866 stern-works1879 tuchus1886 jacksy-pardy1891 sit-upon1910 can1913 truck-end1913 sitzfleisch1916 B.T.M.1919 fanny1919 bot1922 heinie1922 beam1929 yas yas1929 keister1931 batty1935 bim1935 arse-end1937 twat1937 okole1938 bahookie1939 bohunkus1941 quoit1941 patoot1942 rusty-dusty1942 dinger1943 jacksie1943 zatch1950 ding1957 booty1959 patootie1959 buns1960 wazoo1961 tush1962 ?1837 Ri-tum Ti-fum Songster 22 Lay her on her duff, then,..her belly white to kiss. 1857 Coal Hole Compan. Fourth Coll. 30 Her duff she up and down did jerk, Did frisky Nancy Dawson. 1888 S. O. Addy Gloss. Words Sheffield 67 Duff, the fundament. 1942 in G. Legman Rationale of Dirty Joke (1975) II. 407 Otherwise she'd fall on her duff. 1966 Lowell (Mass.) Sun 3 Jan. 20/2 He hasn't been off his duff, hardly, since I got him as a fledgling. 1991 Observer 12 May 20/7 The people were about to sling her out on her duff. 2014 Globe & Mail (Canada) (Nexis) 5 Dec. l4 At Christmas and birthdays, all the other men in my family..literally and figuratively sit on their duffs because their wives..shop for presents. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022). duffn.⁷ Brit. /dʌf/, U.S. /dəf/, Australian English /dʌf/ Origin: Of uncertain origin. Etymology: Origin uncertain; perhaps related to duff n.⁴, which would make the expression up the duff analogous to similar slang phrases for pregnancy, such as to have a bun in the oven (see a bun in the oven at bun n.² a) and in the pudding club (see pudding club n. at pudding n. Compounds 2). Alternatively, perhaps compare English regional (Shropshire) duff stomach:1841 C. H. Hartshorne Salopia Antiqua 396 Dough,..pronounced duff..the stomach. Ex. ‘Peg him in his dough.’ colloquial (originally Australian). up the duff: pregnant. ΚΠ 1941 S. J. Baker Pop. Dict. Austral. Slang Duff, up the (of a woman), pregnant. 1948 D. Ballantyne Cunninghams xxiv. 123 What did a man live for? Was it to marry a girl, put her up the duff, slave until the pains came, and then wait for death? 1966 J. Gaskell All Neat in Black Stockings (1968) 68 She has no cravings like girls usually have when they're up the duff. 2015 Daily Mirror (Nexis) 4 Jan. 39 Sam's up the duff, but hasn't yet told Foyle. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online June 2022). duffadj. Brit. /dʌf/, U.S. /dəf/ Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: duff n.² Etymology: < duff n.² Compare earlier duffed adj.¹, duffing n.¹, and duffing adj.¹ colloquial (originally and chiefly British). 1. Originally of money: fake, counterfeit; not genuine. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > forgery, falsification > [adjective] counterfeitedc1385 counterfeitc1386 trothlessa1393 bastard1397 forged1484 apocryphate1486 adulterate?a1509 mockisha1513 sophisticate1531 adulterine1542 adulterous1547 mock1548 forbate1558 coined1582 firking1594 feigned1598 adulterated1610 apocryphal1612 spurious1615 usurpeda1616 impostured1619 mock-madea1625 suppository1641 affictitious1656 pasteboard1659 sophisticated1673 flam1678 Brummagem1679 sham1681 belieda1718 fictitious1739 Birmingham1785 pinchbeck1790 brummish1803 Brum1805 flash1812 spurious1830 bogus1839 imitative1839 dummy1846 doctored1853 postiche1854 pseudo1854 Brummagemish1855 snide1859 inauthentic1860 fake1879 bum1884 Brummie1886 tin1886 filled1887 duff1889 faked1890 shicec1890 margarine1891 dud1904 Potemkin village1904 mocked-up1919 phoney baloney1936 four-flushing1942 bodgie1956 moody1958 disauthentic1960 bodgied1988 bodgied-up1988 1889 A. Barrère & C. G. Leland Dict. Slang I. 336/2 Duff (thieves), spurious. 1910 Sessions Paper CLIV. 24 Nov. 82 I rang it [sc. a coin] on the counter; he said ‘Break it up—it is duff.’ 1984 ‘J. Gash’ Gondola Scam (1985) iv. 29 She bid a fortune for the fake even though she knew it was duff. 1992 L. Davis Iron Hand of Mars (2011) 64 I've been slipped some duff coins, Falco—cut in quarters and halves! 2. More generally: worthless, useless, inadequate, poor. Cf. dud adj. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > importance > unimportance > [adjective] > worthless naughteOE unworthc960 nought worthOE unworthya1240 vaina1300 lewd1362 base?1510 to be nothing toc1520 stark naught1528 nothing worth1535 worthilessa1542 draffish1543 baggage1548 dunghill?1555 valureless1563 toyish1572 worthless1573 out (forth) of door (also doors)1574 leaden1577 riff-raff1577 drafty1582 fecklessc1586 dudgeon?1589 nought-worth1589 tenpenny1592 wanwordy?a1595 shotten herring1598 nugatory1603 unvalued1604 priceless1614 unvaluable1615 valuelessa1616 waste1616 trashya1620 draffy1624 stramineous1624 invaluable1640 roly-poly?1645 nugatorious1646 perquisquilian1647 niffling1649 lazy1671 wanworth1724 little wortha1754 flimsy1756 waff1788 null1790 nothingy1801 nothingly1802 twopenny-halfpenny1809 not worth a flaw1810 garbage1817 peanut1836 duffing1839 trash1843 no-account1845 no-count1851 punky1859 rummagy1872 junky1880 skilligalee1883 footle1894 punk1896 wherry-go-nimble1901 junk1908 rinky-dink1913 schlock1916 tripe1927 duff1938 chickenshit1940 sheg-up1941 expendable1942 (strictly) for the birds1943 tripey1955 schlocky1960 naff1964 dipshit1968 cack1978 1938 ‘J. Curtis’ They drive by Night iv. 47 ‘Duff old machines these,’ said a driver... ‘Whyn't they get some new'uns?’ 1942 Spectator 30 Oct. 405/2 Airmen spend a great deal of time and energy trying to obtain advance information.., ‘gen’ which usually turns out to be thoroughly inaccurate, and is thereupon disappointedly stigmatised as ‘duff gen’. 1956 R. Robinson Landscape with Dead Dons ix. 79 Pity we got off to a duff start. 1965 ‘J. Lymington’ Green Drift i. 8 I went down to the pub because the play was so duff. 2005 New Statesman 17 Mar. 22 (heading) If the credit bubble bursts, banks could find they've not made enough provision for bad loans and duff investments. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022). duffv.¹ Brit. /dʌf/, U.S. /dəf/ Forms: 1800s duft (past tense), 1800s– duff. Origin: Apparently formed within English, by back-formation. Etymon: duffer n.¹ Etymology: Apparently a back-formation < duffer n.¹ Compare slightly earlier duffing n.¹, and compare also duff n.², duffing adj.¹ Perhaps compare also duffer n.² 2. †1. transitive. slang. To sell or peddle (something) under the pretence of offering something valuable that has been smuggled or stolen. Later also: to alter the appearance of (something for sale) in a deceptive or misleading way, esp. so as to make it appear new or of superior quality; to fake, forge, counterfeit. Also occasionally intransitive. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > dissimulation, pretence > semblance, outward show > present speciously [verb (transitive)] > improve appearance paintc1390 set1540 daub1543 plaster1546 varnish1571 to gild over1574 adorn1589 parget1592 glaze1605 apparel1615 pranka1616 lustre1627 candidate1628 varnish1641 lacquer1688 whitewash1703 tinsel1748 duff1750 fineer1765 veneer1847 superficialize1851 gloss1879 window dress1913 beglamour1926 sportswash2012 1750 Proc. Old Bailey 7 Nov. 5/1 He took up the Trade of what is commonly called duffing Brandy, Tea, &c. about the Town, from House to House. 1786 Proc. Old Bailey 30 Aug. 1141/2 I have bought it [sc. a length of calico], says she, of a fair hair'd man that duffs on board a ship. 1851 H. Mayhew London Labour II. 70/2 Parrot duffing..is seldom carried on regularly by any one, for he will often duff cigars and other things in preference, or perhaps vend really smuggled and good cigars or tobacco. 1856 Melbourne Punch 1 (Cal. Apr., following p. 178) An auctioneer imprisoned for duffing a ring. He essayed to cheat his customer, but the latter got the ring assayed. 1866 All Year Round 12 May 421/2 They'll beg, and duff, and dodge about the West-end. 1870 31st Rep. Deputy Keeper Public Rec. p. vi, in Parl. Papers (C. 187) XXXIX. 1 Some of these..MSS. were so very bad that it would have been impossible to duff them. 1892 Edinb. Evening News 3 Mar. 2 A good deal of the old plate was ‘duffed’. 2. transitive. Australian slang. To alter the brands on (stolen cattle) in order to disguise their provenance; to steal (cattle) and then do this. Now chiefly historical. ΚΠ 1857 Argus (Melbourne) 17 Mar. It came out that Norton had duffed the yearling filly about the same time. 1862 Western Post (Mudgee, New S. Wales) 13 Dec. 2/5 It would not be advisable to duff any more cattle. 1890 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Squatter's Dream xiv. 162 He'd think more of duffing a red heifer than all the money in the country. 1936 M. Franklin All that Swagger 118 He thought someone had duffed them [sc. steers]. 1964 Penguin Bk. Austral. Ballads 88 And we'll duff the squatter's cattle. 2000 Ralph 7 July 21/4 If you duff a couple of sheep or cattle, what crime have you committed? †3. transitive. slang. To cheat, do out of fraudulently. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > defrauding or swindling > perpetrate (a swindle) [verb (transitive)] > defraud or swindle > out of something beguile1394 wrongc1484 delude1493 licka1500 to wipe a person's nose1577 uncle1585 cheat1597 cozen1602 to bob of1605 to bob out of1605 gull1612 foola1616 to set in the nick1616 to worm (a person) out of1617 shuffle1627 to baffle out of1652 chouse1654 trepan1662 bubble1668 trick1698 to bamboozle out of1705 fling1749 jockey1772 swindle1780 twiddle1825 to diddle out of1829 nig1829 to chisel out of1848 to beat out1851 nobble1852 duff1863 flim-flam1890 1863 G. A. Sala Strange Adventures Capt. Dangerous III. ix. 305 Allowing him to duff me out of a few score pieces at the game of Lansquenet. †4. transitive. English regional (northern). To avoid, evade, dodge. Obsolete. ΚΠ 1866 R. Hallam Wadsley Jack iii. 14 Sumhah or other he' duff'd trade's mark wi' one leg, for it wor streight. 1912 J. Malham-Dembleby Orig. Tales & Ballads Yorks. Dial. 51 Sha's duffed us sin t' forenoin when sha mun a passed wheer ye wor on t' moor. †5. intransitive. Scottish and English regional (northern). a. To change one's mind, withdraw, or back out from a venture or undertaking; to ‘chicken out’. Also with on. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > fear > cowardice or pusillanimity > be cowardly or show signs of cowardice [verb (intransitive)] > shirk or skulk skulk1626 shirk1778 to funk out1859 duff1883 to chicken out1931 fink1966 wimp1981 cowardize2003 the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > reversal of or forsaking one's will or purpose > reverse or abandon one's purpose [verb (intransitive)] wendOE divert1430 to turn one's tale1525 relent1528 revolt1540 resile?a1597 crinkle1612 to throw in (or up) one's cards1688 to box the compass1714 to turn round1808 crawfish1848 to back down1849 duff1883 back-pedal1891 punk1920 back-track1947 to back off1961 the world > action or operation > inaction > not doing > abstaining or refraining from action > abstain or refrain from action [verb (intransitive)] > avoid > turn aside from a course of action > back out resile1529 to back out1807 duff1883 duck1896 punk1920 squib1938 bug1952 weasel1956 to wuss out1976 1883 Weyvers awn Comic Olmenac (Pudsey) 19 Nah then, chaps, are ye reddy? t'rahm's crahded, an wun chap's been assing if ye've duft. 1883 T. Lees Easther's Gloss. Dial. Almondbury & Huddersfield (at cited word) ‘Tha's duff'd on it’, i.e. given in. 1886 J. Hartley Yorks. Tales 2nd Ser. 106 Rodger wor a bit ta'en aback, but he wor nooan gooin to duff, soa he shov'd his finger throo its lip an started off wi' her. 1923 G. Watson Roxburghshire Word-bk. 118 Duff, to draw back from a bargain or undertaking; to throw it up. Also ti duff on't. b. To lose a competition deliberately. Obsolete. ΚΠ 1923 G. Watson Roxburghshire Word-bk. 118 Duff, to refrain from exerting oneself to win a race, etc. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022). duffv.² Brit. /dʌf/, U.S. /dəf/ Origin: Of uncertain origin. Probably formed within English, by conversion. Etymons: English duff , dowf adj.; duff n.¹ Etymology: Origin uncertain; probably < duff, variant of dowf adj. (compare dowf adj. 5) or perhaps < duff n.¹ (compare the reference to dust in quot. 1876). colloquial and English regional (northern). Now somewhat rare. intransitive. With up: to become foggy or hazy. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > weather > cloud > mist > [verb (intransitive)] thicka1000 thicken1784 duff1876 to come down1891 1876 F. K. Robinson Gloss. Words Whitby Duff up, to drift like road dust on a hot day. 1942 I. Gleed Arise to Conquer x. 94 The weather looks O.K... If it duffs up, Derek, give us a shower of Verey lights to show us the way to come home. 1960 D. Middleton Sky Suspended vii. 180 On the British aerodromes the pilots observed that the weather had ‘duffed up’, that is thick, low cloud was developing and there was a certain amount of ground haze. 2000 E. Weiss Chicken Run xi. 92 ‘But the weather duffed up,’ Fowler was saying excitedly. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022). duffv.³ Brit. /dʌf/, U.S. /dəf/ Origin: Of uncertain origin. Perhaps a variant or alteration of another lexical item. Etymons: dowf v.; duff v.¹ Etymology: Origin uncertain; perhaps a specific use of a variant of dowf v. (compare dowf v. 2b), or perhaps a specific use of duff v.¹ (compare duff v.¹ 5). Compare earlier muff v.³ Perhaps compare also earlier duffer n.² Originally and chiefly Golf. transitive and intransitive. To perform (a shot) badly (sometimes spec.: see quot. 1897). Also in extended use: to make a mess of (something), to muff. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > ability > inability > unskilfulness > do something unskilfully [verb (intransitive)] > bungle bungle1549 to put the wrong foot before1590 bebotch1609 to put one's foot in (also into) it1796 mess1823 boggle1853 to make a muff of oneself1884 duff1890 bobble1908 miscue1941 blow1943 to make a porridge (of)1969 sheg1981 the world > action or operation > ability > inability > unskilfulness > be unskilled in [verb (transitive)] > bungle botch1530 bungle1530 mumble1588 muddle1605 mash1642 bumble?1719 to fall through ——1726 fuck1776 blunder1805 to make a mull of1821 bitch1823 mess1823 to make a mess of1834 smudge1864 to muck up1875 boss1887 to make balls of1889 duff1890 foozle1892 bollocks1901 fluff1902 to make a muck of1903 bobble1908 to ball up1911 jazz1914 boob1915 to make a hash of1920 muff1922 flub1924 to make a hat of1925 to ass up1932 louse1934 screw1938 blow1943 to foul up1943 eff1945 balls1947 to make a hames of1947 to arse up1951 to fuck up1967 dork1969 sheg1981 bodge1984 society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > golf > play golf [verb (intransitive)] > types of stroke putt1690 approach1887 duff1890 to drive the green1892 hack1893 sclaff1893 press1897 chip1903 bolt1909 to chip in1914 double-bogey1952 bogey1977 society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > golf > play golf [verb (transitive)] > type of play or stroke drive1743 draw1842 heel1857 hook1857 loft1857 founder1878 to top a ball1881 chip1889 duff1890 pull1890 slice1890 undercut1891 hack1893 toe1893 spoon1896 borrow1897 overdrive1900 trickle1902 bolt1909 niblick1909 socket1911 birdie1921 eagle1921 shank1925 explode1926 bird1930 three-putt1946 bogey1948 double-bogey1952 fade1953 1890 [implied in: Golf 5 Dec. 179/1 When we know the circumstances of genuine play, it is very easy to pass from them to the corresponding characteristics of every-day duffing. (at duffing n.²)]. 1895 W. Dalrymple Handbk. Golf 3 The innate malignant tendency to duff and muff, and sclaff and miss, and top and heel and toe. 1897 Earl of Suffolk et al. Encycl. Sport I. 469/1 The verb ‘to duff’ does not mean..to play as a ‘duffer’ or hopelessly bad player, but simply to hit the ground first, behind the ball, so that the ball is struck with the upper edge of the face, and sent only a short way into the air. 1909 Westm. Gaz. 30 Apr. 12/2 Mayo duffed his approach. 1909 J. R. Ware Passing Eng. Victorian Era 119/2 ‘He duffs everything he touches.’ ‘He is the most duffing duffer that ever duffed.’ 1927 Sunday Express 29 May 21/6 The ninth provided Landale's crowning error, for he duffed two mashie shots. 1992 Milwaukee (Wisconsin) Jrnl. 23 July c5/6 The pain was really excruciating when I went to hit the ball. I duffed two shots because of the pain. 2004 Golf Punk Dec. 39/2 Faced with a chip across the Valley of the Sin, the former factory worker stiffened every sinew and like a three-year-old gripping a golf club for the first time duffed his chip a matter of yards. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022). duffv.⁴ Brit. /dʌf/, U.S. /dəf/ Origin: Of uncertain origin. Etymology: Origin uncertain; compare earlier duff int., duff n.⁶, dowf v. 2a, and dowfing bout at dowf v. Derivatives.Compare 19th-cent. English regional (Cornwall) duff to knock, strike ( < duff n.⁶):a1863 J. T. Tregellas Cornish Tales (1868) 14 You're gone for ever in a wink, Duffed desmal like, and flat. colloquial (originally and chiefly British). transitive. Chiefly with up: to beat (a person) up, to thrash. Also in extended use. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > impact > striking > beating or repeated striking > beat [verb (transitive)] > specifically a person to-beatc893 threshOE bustc1225 to lay on or upon?c1225 berrya1250 to-bunea1250 touchc1330 arrayc1380 byfrapc1380 boxc1390 swinga1400 forbeatc1420 peal?a1425 routa1425 noddlea1450 forslinger1481 wipe1523 trima1529 baste1533 waulk1533 slip1535 peppera1550 bethwack1555 kembc1566 to beat (a person) black and blue1568 beswinge1568 paik1568 trounce1568 canvass1573 swaddle?1577 bebaste1582 besoop1589 bumfeage1589 dry-beat1589 feague1589 lamback1589 clapperclaw1590 thrash1593 belam1595 lam1595 beswaddle1598 bumfeagle1598 belabour1600 tew1600 flesh-baste1611 dust1612 feeze1612 mill1612 verberate1614 bethumpa1616 rebuke1619 bemaul1620 tabor1624 maula1627 batterfang1630 dry-baste1630 lambaste1637 thunder-thump1637 cullis1639 dry-banga1640 nuddle1640 sauce1651 feak1652 cotton1654 fustigate1656 brush1665 squab1668 raddle1677 to tan (a person's) hide1679 slam1691 bebump1694 to give (a person) his load1694 fag1699 towel1705 to kick a person's butt1741 fum1790 devel1807 bray1808 to beat (also scare, etc.) someone's daylights out1813 mug1818 to knock (a person) into the middle of next week1821 welt1823 hidea1825 slate1825 targe1825 wallop1825 pounce1827 to lay into1838 flake1841 muzzle1843 paste1846 looder1850 frail1851 snake1859 fettle1863 to do over1866 jacket1875 to knock seven kinds of —— out of (a person)1877 to take apart1880 splatter1881 to beat (knock, etc.) the tar out of1884 to —— the shit out of (a person or thing)1886 to do up1887 to —— (the) hell out of1887 to beat — bells out of a person1890 soak1892 to punch out1893 stoush1893 to work over1903 to beat up1907 to punch up1907 cream1929 shellac1930 to —— the bejesus out of (a person or thing)1931 duff1943 clobber1944 to fill in1948 to bash up1954 to —— seven shades of —— out of (a person or thing)1976 to —— seven shades out of (a person or thing)1983 beast1990 becurry- fan- 1943 ‘R. Llewellyn’ None but Lonely Heart xxxi. 226 If he tried duffing my lamp, I'd set about duffing his. 1961 Technology May 131/1 Jeff and Bill was duffed up on saterday at st Albans drillhall. 1993 G. Donaldson Ville 304 My people duffed him up. 2001 Traveltrade (Austral.) (Nexis) 16 May Small carriers have a job not to be duffed up by the big boys. 2012 D. Essex Over the Moon ii. 24 One boy was duffed up for wearing brown winkle-pickers. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022). duffint.n.⁶ Brit. /dʌf/, /dʊf/, U.S. /dəf/, /dʊf/ Origin: An imitative or expressive formation. Etymology: Imitative of a dull blow. Compare earlier dowf n. 2. A. int. Representing the sound of a dull blow, thud, or drumbeat. Frequently reduplicated. Cf. doof int. ΚΠ 1858 Jrnl. Royal Geogr. Soc. 28 322 Duff, duff, duff! bouncingly answered the bird, and duff, duff, duff! as bravely answered Bates. 1995 ‘Two Fingers’ & ‘J. T. Kirk’ Junglist (1997) 49 When you're EEEEing off your face and then tripping off your nut and the music goes: DUFF! DUFF! DUFF! DUFF! 1999 C. Creedon Passion Play xxvii. 242 He grabs your man by the hair, clings his face to the tiles... Then whamo off the sink and straight up, full force against the mirror... It was like, Duff! Duff! Duff! Three seconds. That's all it took. He falls to the floor. 2010 Southland Times (N.Z.) (Nexis) 6 Mar. 1 The no[i]siest nightclub was dead opposite. Duff, duff, duff! B. n.⁶ 1. A sound resembling that of such a blow; a thud. Usually reduplicated. Cf. doof n.², dowf n. 2. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > non-resonance > [noun] > non-resonant impact sound > thud daud1596 sosh1687 soss1718 devel1787 dump1820 thud1825 duff1859 pob1871 thrump1871 clump1891 plonk1903 plodding1905 plup1911 wumph1913 whump1915 whomp1926 whumping1928 clonking1930 bonk1933 bonking1944 thuck1948 doof1989 1859 Titan 28 569/1 The skin which covers the drum-head..is relaxed, and the bold rowdy-dow becomes the husky and muffled ruff-duff-duff. 2003 Weekend Austral. (Nexis) 9 Mar. 20 I couldn't hear anythin' over the duff-duff blastin' out of the stereo. 2015 Hull Daily Mail (Nexis) 29 Dec. 3 For most people, Christmas television is a mix of festive films, comedy specials and the inevitable ‘duff duff’ before the EastEnders credits roll. †2. English regional (esp. Cornwall). A blow, a thump. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific degree of force > [noun] > striking heavily > a heavy blow > and dull thump1552 bump1582 dousea1600 dousta1627 dub1837 duff1866 1866 T. R. Higham Dial. between Two Cornish Miners 16 She gove Blondin a duff in the belly. 1895 J. Thomas Randigal Rhymes 82 Duff, a blow; a blow on a cow's udder with a calf's nose. 1899 H. Kingsford in Eng. Dial. Dict. (1900) II. 203/1 [South Worcestershire] 'E gen 'im a duff o' th' yud. This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, September 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.¹1724n.²1781n.³1822n.⁴1828n.⁵?1837n.⁷1941adj.1889v.¹1750v.²1876v.³1890v.⁴1943int.n.⁶1858
随便看	side lever side lighting side lobe side look side mark side mate side member side mill side milling side mirror side motion side netting side nippers side note side of bacon side of bone side of work side order side out for a bend side outlet side paddle side pain side passage side path side pavement

duffn.1

duffn.2

duffn.3

duffn.4

Compounds

duffn.5

duffn.7

duffadj.

duffv.1

duffv.2

duffv.3

duffv.4

duffint.n.6

duffn.¹

duffn.²

duffn.³

duffn.⁴

duffn.⁵

duffn.⁷

duffv.¹

duffv.²

duffv.³

duffv.⁴

duffint.n.⁶