duff
1 Americannoun
noun
verb (used with object)
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to give a deliberately deceptive appearance to; misrepresent; fake.
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British. (in golf ) to misplay (a golf ball), especially to misjudge one's swing so that the club strikes the ground behind the ball before hitting it.
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Australian.
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to steal (cattle).
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(formerly) to alter the brand on (stolen cattle).
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to cheat someone.
noun
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organic matter in various stages of decomposition on the floor of the forest.
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fine, dry coal, especially anthracite.
verb
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slang to change the appearance of or give a false appearance to (old or stolen goods); fake
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slang to steal (cattle), altering the brand
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Also: sclaff. informal golf to bungle (a shot) by hitting the ground behind the ball
adjective
noun
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a thick flour pudding, often flavoured with currants, citron, etc, and boiled in a cloth bag
plum duff
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slang pregnant
noun
Other Word Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has duffedperfect 3rd person singular
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have duffedperfect
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are duffingprogressive
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have been duffingperfect progressive
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has been duffingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am duffingprogressive 1st person singular
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is duffingprogressive 3rd person singular
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duffingparticiple
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duffssingular 3rd person
Past
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had duffedperfect
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was duffingprogressive singular
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had been duffingperfect progressive
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were duffingprogressive plural
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duffedsimple
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duffedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of duff1
First recorded in 1885–90; expressive word, perhaps akin to doup
Origin of duff2
First recorded in 1830–40; dialectal variant ( Scots, North England) of dough
Origin of duff3
First recorded in 1830–40; back formation from duffer, in the slang senses “something inferior or counterfeit” or “a peddler of inferior goods”
Origin of duff4
First recorded in 1835–45; originally Scots dialect; perhaps metaphorical use of duff 2, by association with Scots dowf “decayed, rotten,” deaf “(of soil) unproductive, springy to the tread”; see dowf
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And Bianca doesn’t want to be a DUFF.
From Time • Nov. 19, 2014
But that’s exactly what she is as Bianca in The DUFF, a teen comedy slated for 2015 based on Kody Keplinger’s novel by the same name.
From Time • Nov. 19, 2014
DUFF, old chap, your Goose is dragging her anchor again, back her engines a bit, or there'll be a foul....
From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 103, September 10, 1892 by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.