c1330 R. Mannyng Chron. Wace (Rolls) 7586 ‘Drynk hail’, he seyþ, & drynkeþ þer-of, Kyssyng hym in bourde & scof.

1340 Ayenbite (1866) 128 Do away þe scoffes and þe scornes.

a1400 K. Alis. (Laud) 5461 Nov it is ypassed, hij ne don þerof Bot gamenen togedres, & ek scoff.

a1400 K. Alis. (Laud) 667 This nis nouȝth romaunce of skof [Lincoln's Inn MS. scof].

a1450 J. Myrc Instr. to Par. Priests What maner þynge þou art gulty of, Telle me boldely & make no scof.

c1530 Crt. Love 1185 ‘Bereve me, goddesse’, quod he, [of] thy might, My skornes all and skoffes, that I have No power forth, to mokken any wight That in thy service dwell.

?1547 J. Bale Brefe Comedy Tempt. Our Lorde sig. Div If ye do beleue, that ye are the sonne of God, Beleue thys also, if ye leape downe here in scoff, From thys hygh pynnacle, ye can take no harme theroff.

a1572 J. Knox Hist. Reformation Scotl. in Wks. (1846) I. 49 The Bischope was heightly offended, asweill at the skwff and bitter mock, as at the bold libertie of that learned man.

1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1895) II. 188 Doubtles gif we returne, we sal vndirly a perpetual skuf and shame.

1598 W. Shakespeare Love's Labour's Lost v. ii. 263 By heauen, all drie beaten with pure scoffe . View more context for this quotation

1598 R. Grenewey tr. Tacitus Annales i. iii. 6 [Augustus] asked the opinion of the Pontife in a scoffe, whether there might be a lawfull marriage betwixt them.

1612 T. Taylor Αρχὴν Ἁπάντων: Comm. Epist. Paul to Titus (i. 1) 4 As in nicknames taken vp in scoffe.

1617 F. Moryson Itinerary i. 205 Being to receive the Sacrament he demaunded in scoffe a great piece of bread.

a1854 H. Reed Lect. Brit. Poets (1857) 360 It was a piece of scoff at his political foes.

1573 G. Harvey Let.-bk. (1884) 14 And now he was thurrouly furnisshid with a cumpani of gud lusti cuts and stateli scofs.

1604 S. Hieron Preachers Plea in Wks. (1620) I. 502 The schoffes of Ismalitish papists.

1610 J. Healey tr. St. Augustine Citie of God xiii. xvi. 481 Bvt the Philosophers..thinke they giue vs a witty scoffe for saying that [etc.].

1660 F. Brooke tr. V. Le Blanc World Surveyed 313 We..telling him of these spirits, being a Protestant, he made a scoffe at it.

c1665 L. Hutchinson Mem. Col. Hutchinson (1973) To Children 9 He detested all scoffes att any practise of worship.

1741 I. Watts Improvem. Mind i. xiv. 204 Some little Souls..for want of a due Acquaintance with other Sciences make a Scoff at them all in comparison of their favourite Science.

1751 Earl of Orrery Remarks Swift (1752) 124 The scoffs and sarcasms of Swift, like the bite of the rattlesnake, distinguish themselves more venomously dangerous, than the wounds of a common serpent.

1817 P. B. Shelley Laon & Cythna xii. iii. 251 Yet none do wreak Their scoffs on him.

a1834 S. T. Coleridge Lit. Remains (1839) IV. 319 Why, this is the very scoff of a late Unitarian writer.

1842 J. H. Newman Parochial Serm. VI. xvii. 258 Worldly men have their scoff at our failure of discernment now.

1877 J. A. Froude Short Stud. (1883) IV. i. xi. 130 With the scoffs came tales of the retribution which instantly over~took the scoffers.

1594 T. Nashe Vnfortunate Traveller sig. M4^v Day by day he disgested his meate with leading her the measures [making her ‘dance’, by flogging]... The ballet of the whipper of late dayes here in England, was but a scoffe in comparison of him.

1578 J. Lyly Euphues f. 73 Such grosse questions are to be aunswered with slender reasons, and such idle heades would be scoffed with adle aunsweres.

a1593 C. Marlowe Massacre at Paris (c1600) sig. B3 Was it not thou that scoftes [sic] the Organon, And said it was a heape of vanities?

1597 W. Shakespeare Richard II iii. ii. 159 Within the hollow crowne..Keepes death his court, and there the antique sits, Scofing his state. View more context for this quotation

1607 B. Barnes Divils Charter i. v. C 2 Scoffst thou me Gismond with continuall taunts?

1624 F. Quarles Iob Militant xi. 39 I would not scoffe you, nor with taunts torment ye.

1650 J. Trapp Clavis to Bible (Gen. xxxvi. 24) 285 This same foolish wittiness Alexander wittily scoffed, when he gave [etc.].

1676 J. Glanvill Seasonable Refl. 35 To Scoff Religion is ridiculously proud and immodest.

1733 J. Swift Apol. 148 To see th' important Man of Dress Scoffing my College Aukwardness.

1796 R. Southey Joan of Arc x. 319 He.. scoff'd their easy fears.

1891 M. A. Dodge Washington Bible Class ii. 48 (Funk) The men who are increasing the sum of the world's knowledge are studying, not scoffing the Bible.

1892 A. C. Gunter Miss Dividends (1893) 210 Oh, how I have scoffed them in my heart.

1549 H. Latimer 2nd Serm. before Kynges Maiestie 7th Serm. sig. Ddi They that be called to aunswere wyll not aunswere directlye, but skoffe the matter out.

1551 T. Cranmer Answer S. Gardiner 10 And so scoffe out bothe these hygh mysteries of Christe.

1862 Mrs. H. Wood Channings I. v. 70 ‘A senior do it!’ scoffed Roland Yorke.

1894 E. Fawcett New Nero v. 66 ‘I no more ruined her,’ scoffed Egerton, ‘than the Sultan of Turkey did!’

1898 A. Skeel & W. H. Brearley King Washington xxv. 155 ‘Not I,’ scoffed Anne, shaking her taffeta flounces.

1921 H. Williamson Beautiful Years 80 ‘Pouff, what a lot of rot,’ scoffed Willie.

1976 J. Wainwright Bastard i. 23 ‘In this weather?’ I scoff.

1977 P. G. Winslow Witch Hill Murder ii. xvii. 219 ‘Oh, come on, Supe,’ Jed scoffed. ‘You're really not trying to pin that murder on me, are you?’

1846 ‘Lord Chief Baron’ Swell's Night Guide (new ed.) 48 He scoffed weed; that is, chewed tobacco.

1846 ‘Lord Chief Baron’ Swell's Night Guide (new ed.) 50 You must grub with the grunters, and scoff cabbage without salt.

1864 J. C. Hotten Slang Dict. (new ed.) 221 Scorf, to eat voraciously.

1876 F. K. Robinson Gloss. Words Whitby Skoff, to eat with audible voracity.

1883 W. C. Russell Sailors' Lang. Scoffing, eating. To scoff a thing is to eat it.

1886 W. H. Long Dict. Isle of Wight Dial. 61 They zet down and scoffed every bit o' grub there was on the taable.

1895 A. Patterson Man & Nature on Broads 122 A bunch of grey lag-geese as wor scoffin' (eating) the young wheat in a field up hinder.

1901 W. S. Walker In the Blood iv Those birds kill snakes do they?.. Rather... They goes down themselves and scoffs them.

1942 Tee Emm (Air Ministry) 2 148 Fluorescence which he said tasted horrible, and of which he scoffed quite a fair amount while he was waiting to be lifted out of the water.

1956 I. Murdoch Flight from Enchanter 125 I wonder what happens to it [sc. a magazine]. Fay must scoff it up in her room.

1967 E. Gilzean Murder on Sundays ii. 33 Come on, Janet. They'll have scoffed all the beer and cider if we don't hurry.

1972 R. K. Smith Ransom v. 231 Scoff it up, chillun..and you'll grow up big and strong.

1973 J. Porter It's Murder with Dover v. 45 In the dining room the reporters..were..noisily scoffing down everything that was put in front of them.

1979 Daily Tel. 13 Oct. 12/3 Should the farmer wish to supplement the rations of his cattle or sheep in bad weather then he must stand guard over the feeding trough to stop the horses scoffing the lot.

1798 A. Barnard Jrnl. 24 May in A. W. C. Lindsay Lives of Lindsays (1849) III. 464 [The Boer] concludes of course that the passengers want to scoff (to eat).

1850 H. Melville White-jacket xv. 74 Bear a hand, and ‘scoff’ (eat) away... Some of you fellows keep scoffing as if I had nothing to do but..look on.

1855 G. H. Mason Life with Zulus xvi. 193 A Caffre..entered our service... It soon became manifest that our new servant was a madman... He would commence a war-song, or call for us to get up and ‘scoff’ (eat) with him.

1899 Lowth Dau. of Transvaal xi. 191 I say, here come those three, still skoffing.

1900 S. Chambers Rhodesians 18 I'll ‘skoff’ with Achille this month.

1926 Clues Nov. 158/2 Let's scoff. Get the duffer.

1931 ‘D. Stiff’ Milk & Honey Route 213 Scoffing, to eat. To scoff regularly means to miss no meals.

1944 D. Burley Orig. Handbk. Harlem Jive 70 Really knock yourself out as you scoff.

1965 ‘R. Erskine’ Passion Flowers in Business xiii. 164 Can we please go and scoff?

1973 C. Himes Black on Black 133 Go on, baby, you can be back in an hour with 'nuff bread so we can scoff.