toff
[ tof ]
/ tɒf /
noun British Informal.
a stylishly dressed, fashionable person, especially one who is or wants to be considered a member of the upper class.
Nearby words
- toerag,
- toeshoe,
- toetoe,
- toey,
- tofc,
- toffee,
- toffee-apple,
- toffee-nosed,
- toffish,
- toft
Origin of toff
First recorded in 1850–55; perhaps variant of tuft
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for toff
British Dictionary definitions for toff
toff
/ (tɒf) /
noun
British slang a rich, well-dressed, or upper-class person, esp a man
Word Origin for toff
C19: perhaps variant of tuft, nickname for a titled student at Oxford University, wearing a cap with a gold tassel
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for toff
toff
lower-class British slang for "stylish dresser, member of the smart set," 1851, said to be probably an alteration of tuft, formerly an Oxford University term for a nobleman or gentleman-commoner (1755), in reference to the gold ornamental tassel worn on the caps of undergraduates at Oxford and Cambridge whose fathers were peers with votes in the House of Lords.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper