Fume vs Puff - What's the difference?
fume | puff |
A gas or vapour/vapor that smells strongly or is dangerous to inhale. Fumes are solid particles formed by condensation from the gaseous state, e.g. metal oxides from volatilized metals. They can flocculate and coalesce. Their particle size is between 0.1 and 1 micron. (A micron is one millionth of a metre)
* T. Warton
A material that has been vaporized from the solid state to the gas state and re-coalesced to the solid state.
Rage or excitement which deprives the mind of self-control.
Anything unsubstantial or airy; idle conceit; vain imagination.
* Francis Bacon
The incense of praise; inordinate flattery.
* Burton
To emit fumes.
* Milton
* Roscommon
To expose something (especially wood) to ammonia fumes in order to produce dark tints.
To feel or express great anger.
* Dryden
* Sir Walter Scott
To be as in a mist; to be dulled and stupefied.
* Shakespeare
To pass off in fumes or vapours.
* Cheyne
(countable) A sharp exhalation of a small amount of breath through the mouth.
(uncountable) The ability to breathe easily while exerting oneself.
(countable) A small quantity of gas or smoke in the air.
* Flatman
(informal, countable) An act of inhaling smoke from a cigarette, cigar or pipe.
(countable) A flamboyant or alluring statement about an object's quality.
(dated, slang) A puffer, one who is employed by the owner or seller of goods sold at auction to bid up the price; an act or scam of that type.
* 1842 , "A Paper on Puffing", in Ainsworth's Magazine
* 1848 , Mrs. White, "Puffs and Puffing", in Sharpe's London Magazine
* 2008 , David Paton-Williamspage, Katterfelto , page xii
A puffball.
A powder puff.
(uncountable, slang) The drug cannabis.
(countable) A light cake filled with cream, cream cheese, etc.
(derogatory, slang, British, particularly northern UK) a homosexual; a poof
(slang, dated, UK) life
* 1938 , P. G. Wodehouse (Bertie Wooster speaking of Spode) in The Code of the Woosters
To emit smoke, gas, etc., in puffs.
To pant.
* L'Estrange
* 1918 , (Edgar Rice Burroughs), Chapter VI
(archaic) To advertise.
To blow as an expression of scorn.
* South
To swell with air; to be dilated or inflated.
To breathe in a swelling, inflated, or pompous manner; hence, to assume importance.
* Herbert
To drive with a puff, or with puffs.
* Dryden
To repel with words; to blow at contemptuously.
* Dryden
To cause to swell or dilate; to inflate.
* Shakespeare
To inflate with pride, flattery, self-esteem, etc.; often with up .
* Jowett
To praise with exaggeration; to flatter; to call public attention to by praises; to praise unduly.
* Macaulay
As a verb fume
is to.As a noun puff is
(colloquial) brothel, bordello.fume
English
Noun
(en noun)- Don't stand around in there breathing the fumes while the adhesive cures.
- the fumes of new shorn hay
- the fumes of passion
- (South)
- a show of fumes and fancies
- to smother him with fumes and eulogies
Verb
(fum)- where the golden altar fumed
- Silenus lay, / Whose constant cups lay fuming to his brain.
- He's still fuming about the argument they had yesterday.
- He frets, he fumes , he stares, he stamps the ground.
- Her mother did fret, and her father did fume .
- Keep his brain fuming .
- Their parts are kept from fuming away by their fixity.
Usage notes
* In the sense of strong-smelling or dangerous vapor, the noun is typically plural, as in the example. ----puff
English
Noun
- out of puff
- puff of smoke
- to every puff of wind a slave
- Is nothing to be said in praise of the "Emporiums" and "Repositories" and "Divans," which formerly were mere insignificant tailors', toymen's, and tobacconists' shops? Is the transition from the barber's pole to the revolving bust of the perruquier, nothing? — the leap from the bare counter-traversed shop to the carpeted and mirrored saloon of trade, nothing? Are they not, one and all, practical puffs , intended to invest commerce with elegance, and to throw a halo round extravagance?
- Here the duke is made the vehicle of the tailor's advertisement, and the prelusive compliments, ostensibly meant for his grace, merge into a covert recommendation of the coat. Several specimens might be given of this species of puff , which is to be met with in almost every paper, and is a favourite form with booksellers, professional men, &c.
- He was the eighteenth century king of spin, or, in the language of the day, the "prince of puff ".
- cream puff
- Did you ever in your puff see such a perfect perisher?
Synonyms
* (sharp exhalation of a small amount of breath through the mouth) * (ability to breathe easily while exerting oneself) wind * (small quantity of gas or smoke in the air) * drag * (cannabis) blow, dope, ganja, pot, weed; see also * (type of cake) pastry * (poof) See poofDerived terms
* powder puff * puff pastry * puffer * puffery * puffing * puff pieceVerb
(en verb)- The ass comes back again, puffing and blowing, from the chase.
- Puffing and panting, we plodded on until within about a mile of the harbor we came upon a sight that brought us all up standing.
- It is really to defy Heaven to puff at damnation.
- (Boyle)
- Then came brave Glory puffing by.
- The clearing north will puff the clouds away.
- I puff the prostitute away.
- a bladder puffed with air
- the sea puffed up with winds
- puffed up with military success
- puffed with wonderful skill