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Poofter vs Pouf - What's the difference?

poofter | pouf | Synonyms |

Pouf is a synonym of poofter.



As nouns the difference between poofter and pouf

is that poofter is a male homosexual, especially an effeminate one; a pansy while pouf is a headdress for women popular in 18th century France.

As an interjection pouf is

onomatopoeia indicating a cloud of smoke or wind; caused by a deflating object, or a magical disappearance.

poofter

English

Alternative forms

* poofta * pooftah

Noun

(en noun)
  • (UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, pejorative, slang) A male homosexual, especially an effeminate one; a pansy.
  • * 1943 , John Bostock and Evan Jones, The nervous soldier: a handbook for the prevention, detection and treatment of nervous invalidity in war , page 11,
    • Hallucinations, again, are the expression of repressed systems of ideas and desires; for example a man who has strong repressed homo-sexual tendencies may hear voices calling him a poofter .
  • * 1964 , Ian Fleming, You Only Live Twice , page 36,
    • "You pommy poofter'. You give me any more of that liberal crap and I'll have your balls for a bow tie." Bond said mildly, "What's a ' poofter ?" "What you'd call a pansy. No," Dikko Henderson got to his feet and fired a string of what sounded like lucid Japanese at the man behind the bar,.
  • * 2007 , John Mendoza, Mad Blue Smoke , Pasini Press, Melbourne, Australia, page 113,
    • I just ignored them because I didn't think what I did made me a poofter'. Me and Dwayne were best friends, and it was only because there were no girls around, and I liked it. My father taught me that homosexuality was unnatural, and that ' poofters were men who couldn't form relationships with women because they were horrifying, repulsive queers.

    Usage notes

    Poofter'' is nowadays one of the most highly pejorative words in Australian English, perhaps reflected in or by association with its use in the compound ''poofter-bashing , which arose during the 1960s and 1970s in the context of a sharp increase in organised homophobic hate crimes across Australia and particularly in the Sydney district of King's Cross, a major centre of Sydney's gay social life. Beyond its use as a homophobic slur, it is also often aimed at males who do not conform to stereotypical ideals of masculinity in other ways, particularly in the fields of art or academia.

    Related terms

    * poof

    Anagrams

    *

    References

    Francoeur, R. T., and Noonan, R. J. (eds.) The Continuum Complete International Encyclopedia of Sexuality, p.33. Continuum: New York.

    pouf

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) pouf, (pouff), of imitative origin; compare (puff).

    Alternative forms

    * pouffe

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (historical) A headdress for women popular in 18th century France.
  • A high hair style for women consisting of a roll or pad of hair, worn up.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2009, date=February 10, author=Katie Thomas, title=The Poodle Can’t Talk Now; She’s in With Her Stylist, work=New York Times citation
    • , passage=Hosaka, nearly everyone agrees, is a master of detail, an artist who tends his poodles’ poufs as if they were bonsai trees from his native Japan.}}
  • (dressmaking) Part of an item of clothing consisting of gathered fabric in a bunch.
  • A low cushioned seat with no back; a padded footstool.
  • * 1922 , , Asphodel :
    • The voice came from the end of the divan but Hermione, seated square before the fire on a low pouffe did not turn to face its suave producer.
  • * 1948 , (John Creasey), The Case Against Paul Raeburn :
    • Raeburn's handsome head was resting against the back of his chair; Eve sat on a pouf in front of the fire.
  • * 1971 , ‘Slaughter at the Summer Palace’, Time , 26 Aug 1971:
    • Italian Ambassador Amedeo Guillet, who makes it a practice never to eat at midday, lounged on a Moroccan pouf reading The Peter Principle .
  • A short skirt gathered into a rounded puffy shape; a puffball.
  • A ball of fabric (such as nylon monofilament netting) used for washing (as an alternative to a flannel, washcloth, sponge, etc.) .
  • (dated) A small saddle cushion worn atop the buttocks (as a fashion trend – similar to a bustle) .
    • Synonyms
    * (homosexual) horse's hoof (cockney rhyming slang), poofta; pooftah; poofter; poof

    Etymology 2

    Imitative.

    Alternative forms

    poof

    Interjection

    (en interjection)
  • Onomatopoeia indicating a cloud of smoke or wind; caused by a deflating object, or a magical disappearance.
    • Pouf , he was gone.

    Anagrams

    * ----