duff
duff Lexical Profile
duff Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
British Worthless, defective, counterfeit, or of very poor quality.
"The detective quickly realized he had been given duff information about the suspect's whereabouts."
• noun
North American Partially decayed organic matter, such as fallen leaves, pine needles, and twigs, covering a forest floor.
"Lightning can ignite the dry duff on the forest floor, causing a smoldering fire that is difficult to detect."
North American A person's buttocks or rump (informal).
"The coach told the players to get off their duffs and start warming up for practice."
British A stiff flour pudding boiled or steamed in a cloth bag, often containing dried fruit such as plums or raisins.
"For dessert, the sailors were served a hearty portion of plum duff."
Fine, powdery coal or coal dust remaining after screening.
"The miners separated the coarse coal lumps from the fine duff."
• verb
To mishit a golf shot, especially by striking the ground behind the ball before making contact with it.
"Under the pressure of the final hole, the golfer duffed his approach shot into the bunker."
Australian To steal cattle or horses, often altering their brands to disguise ownership.
"In the nineteenth century, bushrangers frequently duffed cattle from remote outback stations."
To manipulate or refurbish an article or animal so as to make it appear new or fraudulent.
"Unscrupulous dealers sometimes duff old garments to sell them as new."
• Rhymes for duff
Word Origin & Etymology
The culinary sense originates from a northern English dialectal pronunciation of 'dough' (compare 'enough' and 'rough'), while the Australian cattle-stealing verb likely derives from the practice of altering brands or disguising stolen livestock.