quiff

¹ American  

[kwif] / kwɪf /

noun

Slang.

• quiff,
  plural
• quiffs
  plural

1. a woman, especially one who is promiscuous.

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quiff ² American  

[kwif] / kwɪf /

noun

British.

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

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quiff British  

/ kwɪf /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• quiff
  plural
• quiffs
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of quiff¹

First recorded in 1920–25; origin uncertain

Origin of quiff²

First recorded in 1885–90; origin uncertain

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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

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

He has the same fine, handsome features, the same space-age quiff, the same dark charisma.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 7, 2019

The organic approach is even reflected in her image - the trademark whipped-cream quiff is gone as Sande opts for a more natural look.

From BBC ● Mar. 15, 2019

This was, indeed, the Gunner Barling he used to know, with his smooth-shaven chin and neat brown moustache waxed at the ends and characteristic "quiff" decorating his brow.

From Okewood of the Secret Service by Valentine Williams

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

Glasgow's Lucia walk on stage like they've just arrived from a school production of Grease, sporting pastel suits and slicked-back quiffs.

From BBC ● May 11, 2019

Witness the fact that mayoral candidates Zac Goldsmith and Sadiq Khan both sport similarly silver quiffs and it’s clear that grey hair no longer semaphores drabness within the political realm.

From The Guardian ● Feb. 4, 2016

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

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