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Chuff vs Chiff - What's the difference?

chuff | chiff |

As nouns the difference between chuff and chiff

is that chuff is a coarse or stupid fellow while chiff is the characteristic sound made as part of the attack of certain notes on the organ.

As an adjective chuff

is surly.

As a verb chuff

is to purposefully fail a standardized test in a conspicuous way.

chuff

English

Etymology 1

15th century, dialectical, in noun sense “stupid fellow”. Adjective sense “surly, displeased” from 1832.

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • (British) Surly.
  • (UK, dialect) stupid; churlish
  • (Wright)
    Synonyms
    * (surly) chuffy * (swollen) chuffy

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A coarse or stupid fellow.
  • (Shakespeare)

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (slang) To purposefully fail a standardized test in a conspicuous way.
  • Etymology 2

    Onomatopoeic. English onomatopoeias Compare chug and puff.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To make noisy puffing sounds, as of a steam locomotive.
  • * 1912 , Katherine Mansfield, "The Woman At The Store", Selected Short Stories
  • The horses stumbled along, coughing and chuffing .
  • * 1928 , D. H. Lawrence, Lady Chatterley's Lover
  • ... and the small lit up train that chuffed past in the cutting made it seem like real night.
  • * 1990 , John Updike, Rabbit at Rest
  • The pigeons chuff and chortle off in indignant disappointment.
  • (British, informal) To break wind.
  • Noun

    (-)
  • (scriptwriting, uncountable) Superfluous small talk that is free of conflict, offers no character development, description or insight, and does not advance the story or plot.
  • Etymology 3

    1520s, in sense “swollen with fat”; circa 1860, British dialect, in sense “pleased”. Possibly related to “coarse, stupid, fat-headed” sense.

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • (British) Pleased.
  • (obsolete) Swollen with fat.
  • Swollen.
  • Derived terms
    * (pleased) chuffed

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • The vagina.
  • References

    * “ chuff]” at [http://septicscompanion.com The Septic’s Companion: A British Slang Dictionary

    chiff

    English

    Noun

    (-)
  • (music) The characteristic sound made as part of the attack of certain notes on the organ.
  • *1998 , Fletcher, N.H. and Rossing, T.D, The Physics of Musical Instruments , Springer Science & Business Media, page 570
  • *:In all these adjustments, the voicer must have regard to the steady sound of the pipe, to its promptness of speech, and to the presence or absence of any desired starting transient or chiff .