quiff
1 Americannoun
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
The warm-up act, a guy with an Elvis quiff draped in a rainbow flag, sang “Imagine.”
From New York Times ● Sep. 7, 2021
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
He has the same fine, handsome features, the same space-age quiff, the same dark charisma.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 7, 2019
It was as much part of him as his elaborate quiff.
From Mrs. Bindle Some Incidents from the Domestic Life of the Bindles by Jenkins, Hebert
Yet for anyone tracing the lineage of men’s wear styles, whether for snap-button Western shirts, winkle-picker shoes, argyle socks, penny loafers or quiffs, Elvis is inevitably there in the pedigree.
From New York Times ● Jun. 23, 2022
Irish pop duo Jedward have shaved off their famous blond quiffs to raise money for a cancer charity in memory of their late mother.
From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2021
Intriguingly, Lennon and McCartney were the most reluctant to give up their quiffs.
From The Guardian ● May 19, 2020
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.
