muff

[muhf]

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noun

a thick, tubular case for the hands, covered with fur or other material, used by women and girls for warmth and as a handbag.

a bungled or clumsy action or performance.

Sports. a failure to hold onto a ball that may reasonably be expected to be caught successfully.

a tuft of feathers on the sides of the head of certain fowls.

Slang: Vulgar. a woman's pubic area.

See under muff glass.

verb (used with object)

Informal. to bungle; handle clumsily: He muffed a good opportunity.

Sports. to fail to hold onto (a ball that may reasonably be expected to be caught successfully); fumble.

verb (used without object)

Informal. to bungle; perform clumsily.

Origin of muff

1590–1600; < Dutch mof, earlier moffel, muffel mitten, muff < Old North French moufle < early Medieval Latin muffula, perhaps < Frankish

Related formsmuff·y, adjective

muff glass

noun

sheet glass made from a blown cylinder (muff) that is split and flattened.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for muff

flub, fumble, mishandle, botch, err, miscalculate, choke, blunder, mismanage, slip, boggle

Examples from the Web for muff

Historical Examples of muff

Jenkins is all very well for work, but he is nothing but a muff in other things.
The Channings
Mrs. Henry Wood
I asked if the muff, as well as the glove, had been searched carefully.
Tales And Novels, Volume 9 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth
She drew the paper from her muff with an impulsive movement and thrust it toward him.
The Inn at the Red Oak
Latta Griswold
She threw down her cloak and muff, the instant she came in, with an air of ill-humour, and undressed herself in a hurried manner.
The Secret Memoirs of Louis XV./XVI, Complete
Madame du Hausset, an "Unknown English Girl" and the Princess Lamballe
Bobinette had swallowed the contents of a small phial hidden in her muff!
A Nest of Spies
Pierre Souvestre

British Dictionary definitions for muff

muff

noun

an open-ended cylinder of fur or cloth into which the hands are placed for warmth

the tuft on either side of the head of certain fowls

Word Origin for muff

C16: probably from Dutch mof, ultimately from French mouffle muffle 1

muff

verb

to perform (an action) awkwardly

(tr) to bungle (a shot, catch, etc) in a game

noun

any unskilful play in a game, esp a dropped catch

any clumsy or bungled action

a bungler

Word Origin for muff

C19: of uncertain origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for muff

"warm covering for the hands," 1590s, from Dutch mof "a muff," shortened from Middle Dutch moffel "mitten, muff," from Middle French moufle "mitten," from Old French mofle "thick glove, large mitten, handcuffs" (9c.), from Medieval Latin muffula "a muff," of unknown origin. In 17c.-18c. also worn by men. Meaning "vulva and pubic hair" is from 1690s; muff-diver "one who performs cunnilingus" is from 1935.

"to bungle," 1827, pugilism slang, probably related to muff (n.) "awkward person" (1837), perhaps from muff (n.) on notion of someone clumsy because his hands are in a muff. Related: Muffed; muffing.