toff

[tof]

See more synonyms for toff on Thesaurus.com

noun British Informal.

a stylishly dressed, fashionable person, especially one who is or wants to be considered a member of the upper class.

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. 2018

Related Words for toff

aggravate, exasperate, incense, enrage, rile, irritate, anger, provoke, disturb, vex, irk, gall, infuriate, inflame, annoy, embitter, peeve, excite, agitate, rankle

Examples from the Web for toff

Contemporary Examples of toff

The Daily Pic: In 1782, Joshua Reynolds gave equal attention to a toff and his mount.
A Horse and His Gent
Blake Gopnik
October 3, 2013
Toff, (slang) n: a person of the upper classes; a swell, dandy; a good sort.
David Cameron’s Toff Problem
Mike Giglio
May 3, 2012
In other word, he is a toff among toffs—proving, perhaps, that while Cameron may one day go, the toffs might be here to stay.
David Cameron’s Toff Problem
Mike Giglio
May 3, 2012

Historical Examples of toff

By now the mews had wakened to the fact of the presence of a "toff" in its midst.
The Black Bag
Louis Joseph Vance
I'm a poor man; I've got no money an' no friends—he 's a toff—he can do wot I can't.
The Silver Box (First Series Plays)
John Galsworthy
The letter was from some toff, 'cause it come from Menzie's Hotel.
Australia Revenged
Boomerang
Toff, I don't believe you wanted to see your master's son and heir!
Is He Popenjoy?
Anthony Trollope
It must be held that the Marquis was justified in getting rid of Mrs. Toff.
Is He Popenjoy?
Anthony Trollope

British Dictionary definitions for toff

toff

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for 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.