Puff vs Bow - What's the difference?
puff | bow | Synonyms |
(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
A weapon made of a curved piece of wood or other flexible material whose ends are connected by a string, used for shooting arrows.
A curved bend in a rod or planar surface, or in a linear formation such as a river (see oxbow ).
A rod with horsehair (or an artificial substitute) stretched between the ends, used for playing various stringed musical instruments.
A stringed instrument, similar to the item described above.
A type of knot with two loops, used to tie together two cords such as shoelaces or apron strings, and frequently used as decoration, such as in gift-wrapping.
Anything bent or curved, such as a rainbow.
* Bible, Genesis ix. 13
The U-shaped piece which goes around the neck of an ox and fastens it to the yoke.
Any instrument consisting of an elastic rod, with ends connected by a string, employed for giving reciprocating motion to a drill, or for preparing and arranging hair, fur, etc., used by hatters.
(nautical) A crude sort of quadrant formerly used for taking the sun's altitude at sea.
(saddlery) Two pieces of wood which form the arched forward part of a saddletree.
To play music on (a stringed instrument) using a bow.
To become bent or curved.
To make something bend or curve.
* Milton
* Prescott
(figurative) To exercise powerful or controlling influence over; to bend, figuratively; to turn; to incline.
* Francis Bacon
* Fuller
To premiere.
To bend oneself as a gesture of respect or deference.
* 1900 , , (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz)
* , chapter=4
, title= (transitive, and, intransitive) To debut.
* 2010 (publication date), Kara Krekeler, "Rebuilding the opera house", West End Word , volume 39, number 26, December 22, 2010 – January 11, 2011, page 1:
To defer (to something).
A gesture, usually showing respect, made by inclining the head or bending forward at the waist.
A debut
* {{quote-journal, 1832, , Literary Notices, The Rail-Road Journal
, passage=The first named one, it will be observed, is but a debutant. It makes its bow in a drab-colored Quaker-looking dress, and barring a lively McGrawler-like critique upon " Lewis' Poems," is staid and professorial in its tone.}}
(nautical) The front of a boat or ship.
* {{quote-book, year=1907, author=
, title=The Dust of Conflict
, chapter=6
Puff is a synonym of bow.
As nouns the difference between puff and bow
is that puff is (colloquial) brothel, bordello while bow is a weapon made of a curved piece of wood or other flexible material whose ends are connected by a string, used for shooting arrows or bow can be a gesture, usually showing respect, made by inclining the head or bending forward at the waist or bow can be (nautical) the front of a boat or ship.As a verb bow is
to play music on (a stringed instrument) using a bow or bow can be to bend oneself as a gesture of respect or deference.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
Derived terms
* puffed * puff up * puff outbow
English
Etymology 1
From (etyl) boga, from (etyl) .Noun
(en noun)- I do set my bow in the cloud.
Synonyms
* (bow-shaped bend) arc, bend, curve * (tool for playing stringed instruments) fiddlestickDerived terms
* bow and arrow * bowman * bowmanship * composite bow * compound bow * crossbow * longbow * oxbow * rainbow * shortbow * bow tieVerb
(en verb)- The musician bowed his violin expertly.
- The shelf bowed under the weight of the books.
- We bow things the contrary way, to make them come to their natural straightness.
- The whole nation bowed their necks to the worst kind of tyranny.
- Adversities do more bow men's minds to religion.
- not to bow and bias their opinions
- Cronenberg’s "Cosmopolis" bows in Cannes this week.
Etymology 2
From (etyl) . Cognate with Dutch buigen, German biegen, Danish bue.Verb
(en verb)- The soldier now blew upon a green whistle, and at once a young girl, dressed in a pretty green silk gown, entered the room. She had lovely green hair and green eyes, and she bowed low before Dorothy as she said, "Follow me and I will show you your room."
Mr. Pratt's Patients, passage=I told him about everything I could think of; and what I couldn't think of he did. He asked about six questions during my yarn, but every question had a point to it. At the end he bowed and thanked me once more. As a thanker he was main-truck high; I never see anybody so polite.}}
- SCP recently announced that How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical will bow on the newly renovated stage next December.
Derived terms
* bow down * bow out * bow and scrape * take a bowNoun
(en noun)- He bowed politely as he entered the room.
- The new product will make its bow on the world market this summer.
citation
Etymology 3
From (etyl) boech or (etyl) .Noun
(en noun)citation, passage=The night was considerably clearer than anybody on board her desired when the schooner Ventura headed for the land. It rose in places, black and sharp against the velvety indigo, over her dipping bow , though most of the low littoral was wrapped in obscurity.}}