quiff
1 Americannoun
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quiff,
plural
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quiffs
plural
noun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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."
Vocabulary lists containing quiff
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.
See Examples For:
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
The black-and-white portrait on the ID showed a young man with broad cheeks, a wide jaw, arched eyebrows and a high quiff of thick dark hair.
From New York Times ● Aug. 18, 2020
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
Tommy came next, with his swagger cane, his jaunty walk, and his cap cocked on one side, shewing a "quiff" beneath.
From The Soul of Susan Yellam by Horace Annesley Vachell
After posting the photo on Instagram the bright quiffs soon became a hit.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2022
Intriguingly, Lennon and McCartney were the most reluctant to give up their quiffs.
From The Guardian ● May 19, 2020
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
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.
