ofay
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of ofay
An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900; of obscure origin
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.
After Norman Mailer called Baldwin “too charming a writer to be major,” Baldwin replied by offering up what the black jazz musicians Mailer loved said of him: “They thought he was a real sweet ofay cat, but a little frantic.”
From New York Times
The sassy black kid�the slick-speaking bro who scores points off the ofay�goes back to the Good Times of the mid-'70s.
From Time Magazine Archive
After his first walk through Harlem's streets, he was convinced that "Mister Ofay"-the white foe-"was the enemy now, the lord of this filthy ghetto."
From Time Magazine Archive
Says Baldwin of his friend Norman Mailer: "They thought he was a real sweet ofay* cat but a little frantic."
From Time Magazine Archive
The Ofay Watcher meanders through a black-white confrontation with moments of humor but no fresh insights.
From Time Magazine Archive
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.
