chuff
In a chuff manner.
Adjective UK
- Pleased, proud.
- Swollen with fat.
- Chubby.
Origin
1520s, in sense “swollen with fat”; circa 1860, British dialect, in sense “pleased”. Possibly related to “coarse, stupid, fat-headed” sense (see etymology 1 above). Or, perhaps a euphemistic alteration of fuck or another expletive.
Forms
Synonyms
Derived
Adjective UK
- Surly; annoyed; displeased; disgruntled.
- He refused to subscribe, he who had always given so largely to the cause; he was chuff, haughty, overbearing, and seemed bent upon antagonising every prominent suggestion that was made. - 1872, Edward Spencer, “A Slight...
- So I set out in the clear cold night, and began to think that great lords and ladies are not at all as well off as poor people thinks, with so much fine meat and drink wasted about them, and they having no wish for...
- "I am afraid of Lady Frances. And Miss Audrey can be very rude. She was very chuff with me on New Year's Day.” “She won't be chuff with you in my presence,” said Evelyn. - 2020, L.T Meade, A Very Naughty Girl, page 39:
- stupid; churlish; loutish.
- such chuff Fellows , who would not willingly allow their Children any Pleasures - 1728, Francis Gentleman, A Trip to the Moon, page 196:
- Says Paddy , “the old one, faith, looks very chuff, though, But loves that big blackguard, I mean Lundy snuff, though; - 1831, The Spouter's Album:
- The chuff old Joe to vex has come, The Doctor—who but he?—Parnell, and all the Irish scum, Have noisy vowed to be. - 1878 January 24, “The Song of Big Ben”, in Truth, volume 3, page 114:
Origin
15th century, dialectal, from Middle English chuffe (“a rustic, boor”), in noun sense “stupid fellow”. Adjective sense “surly, displeased” from 1832.
Forms
Synonyms
Adverb
- In a chuff manner.
- Macbeth when he talk'd very chuff About fighting -- how soon he got floor'd With a yard of cold steel by Macduff, And mine was that Wonderful Sword. - 1842, John Labern, J. Labern's Original Comic Songs, (for 1842,),...
- I was therefore obliged, sore against my will, to apply again to Carnot, who spoke very chuff about the trouble I gave him to write a second memorandum. - 1893, Theobald Wolfe Tone, Richard Barry O'Brien, The...
- 'I know I spoke chuff, aye, but – she wouldn't listen. She'll never agree ...' - 2016, Andrew Prentice, Jonathan Weil, Devil's Blood:
Forms
Noun communications, journalism
- Superfluous small talk that is free of conflict, offers no character development, description or insight, and does not advance the story or plot.
- A noisy puffing sound.
- Then the brass bell on top of the boiler rings out and a single massive chuff! of steam issues from the bowels of the loco. Then another chuff! – a blast of steam – another chuff! and the huge drive shafts tighten...
- A breathy noise produced by a tiger, similar in function to a cat's purr.
Origin
Onomatopoeic. Compare chug and puff.
Forms
Noun slang, vulgar
- The vagina.
- The anus.
- The car behind was following too close — it was right up my chuff.
Forms
Derived
Noun Entry 6
- A coarse or stupid fellow.
- Hang ye, gorbellied knaves, are ye undone? / No, ye fat chuffs, I would your store were here! - a. 1597, William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 1, act 2, scene 2:
Forms
Verb Entry 7
- To make noisy puffing sounds, as of a steam locomotive.
- The horses stumbled along, coughing and chuffing. - 1912, Katherine Mansfield, “The Woman At The Store”, in Selected Short Stories:
- […] and the small lit up train that chuffed past in the cutting made it seem like real night. - 1928, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, Lady Chatterley’s Lover, [Germany?]: Privately printed, →OCLC:
- They walk together in silence while behind them a freight train chuffs and screaks through the crossing. - 1960, John Updike, 'Rabbit, Run', page 64:
- To break wind.
- Of a powder, propellant, or explosive charge: to become extinguished and reignited intermittently.
- 1967 Leo Allen Lukenas: The ignition transient in small solid propellant rocket motors. Princeton University Double base propellants often require ignition pressures of as much as 400 psia to avoid the problem of...
- The original work of Huffington on chuffing and oscillatory burning of cordite goes back to the beginning of the 1950s. - 1992, Luigi De Luca, Martin Summerfield, Nonsteady Burning and Combustion Stability of Solid...
- Chuffing followed by full recovery to normal functioning (Figure 3) - 1999, William G. Reinecke, Ballistics 18th International Symposium, →ISBN, page 357:
Forms
Verb UK, euphemistic
- Used as a replacement for obscenities, particularly fuck.
- Oh chuff off! I'm so chuffing fed up with all of the spam posts on my timeline.