quiff

¹ American  

[kwif] / kwɪf /

noun

Slang.

• quiff,
  plural
• quiffs
  plural

1. a woman, especially one who is promiscuous.

---

quiff ² American  

[kwif] / kwɪf /

noun

British.

1. a lock or curl of hair brought forward over the forehead.

---

quiff British  

/ kwɪf /

noun

1. a prominent tuft of hair, esp one brushed up above the forehead

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• quiff
  plural
• quiffs
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of quiff¹

First recorded in 1920–25; origin uncertain

Origin of quiff²

First recorded in 1885–90; origin uncertain

---

Explanation

A quiff is a brushed-back curl at the front of a person's head. The Belgian comic character Tintin is instantly recognizable with his blond quiff and his white dog, Snowy. A rockabilly hairstyle features an exaggerated quiff, a kind of cross between a pompadour and a flattop. The style first gained popularity among soldiers in the late 19th century, when the word was coined from unknown sources. Some experts guess at a connection with a regional meaning of quiff, "a puff of tobacco smoke." Others suspect a root shared with the French coiffe, or "hairstyle."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

quiff quiffs

Look, we know Paramount’s logo is a mighty mountaintop, but was the intent with Capt. Pike’s soaring gray quiff meant to be a brand shoutout?

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2022

Edward shouted as he caught sight of himself while his brother removed his iconic quiff.

From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2021

Douglas is 40, with a quiff of reddish-brown hair and his father’s distinctively narrow facial features.

From New York Times ● Oct. 19, 2019

The lit cannister of fuel I was holding, known as a drip torch, had a long, looped neck that emitted a jaunty quiff of flame.

From The New Yorker ● Aug. 19, 2019

Above a violent blue necktie there rose a pasty face, terminating in a quiff of amazing dimensions, which glistened greasily in the gaslight.

From Mrs. Bindle Some Incidents from the Domestic Life of the Bindles by Hebert Jenkins

Then comes Aston Villa v Leicester, a battle of the quiffs in Jack Grealish v James Maddison, with Brendan’s boys looking good for second place, barring a collapse like last season.

From The Guardian ● Feb. 19, 2021

A south Wales seaside town has been a sea of quiffs and blue suede shoes as thousands of Elvis Presley fans descended for an annual celebration of The King.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2016

And the coiffures, each individual, were almost all grotesque, with vast, isolated curls and quiffs.

From New York Times ● Sep. 22, 2012

They, like all the girls on the team, had permed hair, blow-dried and feathered up into quiffs standing several inches above their heads.

From Salon ● Jun. 19, 2012

They have long hair which falls across their foreheads and over their eyes so that they can toss their quiffs like Englishmen.

From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---