piff

See also: Piff

English

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɪf

Etymology 1

Onomatopoeic

Interjection

piff

1. An exclamation of annoyance or contempt; pish; pshaw.

Etymology 2

Verb

piff (third-person singular simple present piffs, present participle piffing, simple past and past participle piffed)

1. (Australia, South Australian and Victorian) To throw something vigorously.

Etymology 3

Clipping of piffle.

Noun

piff (uncountable)

1. (slang) Piffle; nonsense; rubbish.
   • 1924, William Pett Ridge, Leaps and Bounds, page 105:

     "You're talking piff."

   • 1947, Robert Briffault, New Life of Mr. Martin, page 203:

     They say all men have weird notions. People saying he's a rake and all that. Lot of piff.

Etymology 4

Unknown. Perhaps a variant of puff suggestive of a blown kiss; or perhaps a shortening of epiphany.

Adjective

piff (comparative more piff, superlative most piff)

1. (UK, slang) good or attractive.

   You look quite piff today.

   • 2018 November 30, “Bits” (track 10), in Original Sounds‎, performed by Bru-C and Window Kid:

     Quick cash, flip that, now I got big cash. Sit back, sip yak with a next piff yat.

Yola

Etymology

From Middle English puf, from Old English pyf.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɪf/

Noun

piff

1. A small puff of wind, as with the mouth.

References

• Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828), William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 62