There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
First recorded in 1620–30; origin uncertain; perhaps from Middle Low German blaff “smooth, even,” or from Middle Dutch blaf “broad, flat,” i.e., of a face or forehead
First recorded in 1665–75; origin uncertain; perhaps from Low German bluffen “to bluster, frighten”; akin to Middle Dutch bluffen “to make a trick at cards”
Bluff describes someone or something that is blunt or frank in a good-natured way. Someone who talks in a bluff manner says things directly but not hurtfully.
A bluff is a cliff or hill with a tall face on one side. Bluffs often border a river or ocean because they get their shape from erosion caused by the natural flow of water.
To bluff is to mislead by showing strength or confidence. People bluff to make themselves seem more powerful, larger, or of more authority than those being bluffed. A bluff is an act of bluffing.
Example: The cabin was built along the bluff, but erosion is making it sink down the hill.
Where does bluff come from?
The first records of bluff meaning “blunt” or “cliff” come from the 1620s. It is thought to come from the Middle Dutch blaf, meaning “broad” or “flat,” which also describes the shape of the cliffside. The first records of bluff meaning “to mislead” come from the 1660s. It is thought to come from the Low German bluffen, meaning “to frighten.” Bluffing is often done to try to intimidate or frighten someone.
One of the most common uses of bluff is in the card game poker and other table games that involve betting. In poker, you place a bet, often in line with the confidence you have that your hand (the cards you’re holding) will win the game. If you bet higher than your confidence in your cards, this is a bluff. Bluffing can convince the other players that they will lose that game and force them to fold (withdraw from the game). Just as a bluff makes someone seem larger or stronger, a poker bluff makes a hand of cards seem more valuable.
Blakeslee was inspired by publications of an archaeologist who excavated at the same bluff site more than 60 years ago and suspected it had been a central part of Etzanoa.