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Dough vs Duff - What's the difference?

dough | duff |

In lang=en terms the difference between dough and duff

is that dough is money while duff is the bits left in the bottom of the bag after the booty has been consumed, like crumbs.

As nouns the difference between dough and duff

is that dough is a thick, malleable substance made by mixing flour with other ingredients such as water, eggs, and/or butter, that is made into a particular form and then baked while duff is dough.

As verbs the difference between dough and duff

is that dough is to make into dough while duff is to disguise something to make it look new.

As an adjective duff is

worthless; not working properly, defective.

As a proper noun Duff is

{{surname}.

dough

English

Alternative forms

* (dialectal)

Noun

(en-noun)
  • A thick, malleable substance made by mixing flour with other ingredients such as water, eggs, and/or butter, that is made into a particular form and then baked.
  • Pizza dough is very stretchy.
  • (slang) Money.
  • His mortgage payments left him short on dough .

    Derived terms

    * doughboy * doughnut * doughy * rolling in dough

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To make into dough.
  • The flour was doughed with a suitable quantity of water.

    Derived terms

    *

    duff

    English

    Etymology 1

    Representing a northern pronunciation of (dough).

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (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]:
  • 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)
  • (Scotland, US) Decaying vegetable matter on the forest floor.
  • * 1999 , (George RR Martin), A Clash of Kings , Bantam 2011, p. 366:
  • Out under the trees, some rangers had found enough duff and dry wood to start a fire beneath a slanting ridge of slate.
  • 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.
  • Adjective

    (er)
  • (UK) Worthless; not working properly, defective.
  • Why do I always get a shopping trolley with duff wheels?
  • * 1996 , , State of Desire , page 155,
  • From its surface, he insisted, plain food became ambrosia, water nectar, and the duffest dope would blow your mind.
  • * 2003 , , 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.
  • * 2009 , , Paperboy , 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.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (US, slang) The buttocks.
  • Etymology 4

    Originally thieves' slang; probably a back-formation from (duffer).

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (slang, obsolete) To disguise something to make it look new.
  • (Australia) To alter the branding of stolen cattle; to steal cattle.
  • To beat up.
  • I heard Nick got duffed up behind the shopping centre at the weekend.
  • (US, golf) To hit the ground behind the ball.
  • See also

    * up the duff