Diff vs Duff - What's the difference?
diff | duff |
(slang)
(computing) Any program which compares two files or sets of files and outputs a description of the differences between them.
(computing) The output of a diff program. A diff file.
* 2004 , , Great Hackers ,
(medicine) : differential of types of white blood cell in a complete blood count.
(slang)
(rock climbing) A difficult route.
(computing) To run a diff program on (files or items) so as to produce a description of the differences between them, as for a patch file.
(computing) To compare two files or other objects, manually or otherwise.
(computing) A program, historically part of the Unix operating system, which compares two files or sets of files and outputs a description of the differences between them.
(dialectal) Dough.
A stiff flour pudding, often with dried fruit, boiled in a cloth bag, or steamed
* 1901 , , short story The Ghosts of Many Christmases'', published in ''Children of the Bush [http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/7065]:
(Scotland, US) Decaying vegetable matter on the forest floor.
* 1999 , (George RR Martin), A Clash of Kings , Bantam 2011, p. 366:
Coal dust.
(slang) The bits left in the bottom of the bag after the booty has been consumed, like crumbs.
Something spurious or fake; a counterfeit, a worthless thing.
An error.
(UK) Worthless; not working properly, defective.
* 1996 , , State of Desire ,
* 2003 , ,
* 2009 , , Paperboy ,
(slang, obsolete) To disguise something to make it look new.
(Australia) To alter the branding of stolen cattle; to steal cattle.
To beat up.
(US, golf) To hit the ground behind the ball.
In lang=en terms the difference between diff and duff
is that diff is abbreviation of lang=en while duff is the bits left in the bottom of the bag after the booty has been consumed, like crumbs.As an adjective duff is
worthless; not working properly, defective.diff
English
Noun
(en noun)- A peach and an apricot? What's the diff ?
Essay:
- I didn't want to waste people's time telling them things they already knew. It's more efficient just to give them the diffs .
Verb
(en verb)Proper noun
(en proper noun)See also
* (computing ) patchduff
English
Etymology 1
Representing a northern pronunciation of (dough).Noun
(en noun)- The storekeeper had sent them an unbroken case of canned plum pudding, and probably by this time he was wondering what had become of that blanky case of duff .
Etymology 2
Origin uncertain; probably imitative.Noun
(en noun)- Out under the trees, some rangers had found enough duff and dry wood to start a fire beneath a slanting ridge of slate.
Adjective
(er)- Why do I always get a shopping trolley with duff wheels?
page 155,
- From its surface, he insisted, plain food became ambrosia, water nectar, and the duffest dope would blow your mind.
page 315,
- One will win the coveted Hollywood Science Award, which, in Robert?s words “is given in recognition of the duffest science in movie-dom” so it will be worth tuning in to find out what movie stunt wins.
page 225,
- All the other parts were played by a gallery of Dickensian character actors, including Thorley Walters, Francis Matthews and, yes, Michael Ripper, who lent gravitas to the duffest dialogue lines.
Synonyms
* (defective) bum (US)Etymology 3
Origin uncertain; perhaps the same as Etymology 1, above.Etymology 4
Originally thieves' slang; probably a back-formation from (duffer).Verb
(en verb)- I heard Nick got duffed up behind the shopping centre at the weekend.