Buff vs Puff - What's the difference?
buff | puff |
Undyed leather from the skin of buffalo or similar animals.
* Shakespeare
A tool, often one covered with buff leather, used for polishing.
A brownish yellow colour.
* Dryden
A military coat made of buff leather.
(informal) A person who is very interested in a particular subject; an enthusiast.
(gaming) An effect that temporally makes a gaming character stronger.
(rail transport) Compressive coupler force that occurs during a slack bunched condition.
The bare skin.
* Wright
The greyish viscid substance constituting the buffy coat.
A substance used to dilute (street) drugs in order to increase profits.
* Police said the 20 ton hydraulic jack was used to press mixtures of cocaine and "buff" into bricks. (CBC)
Of the color of buff leather, a brownish yellow.
(bodybuilding): Unusually muscular. (also buffed'' or ''buffed out )
* 1994 , Blurred Boundaries: Questions of Meaning in Contemporary Culture , page 155:
(slang) attractive.
To polish and make shiny by rubbing.
(gaming) To make a character stronger.
(obsolete) A buffet; a blow.
* Spenser
(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 nouns the difference between buff and puff
is that buff is undyed leather from the skin of buffalo or similar animals while puff is a sharp exhalation of a small amount of breath through the mouth.As verbs the difference between buff and puff
is that buff is to polish and make shiny by rubbing while puff is to emit smoke, gas, etc., in puffs.As an adjective buff
is of the color of buff leather, a brownish yellow.As an acronym BUFF
is big Ugly Fat Fellow (or Fucker); US Airforce nickname for the B-52 bomber.buff
English
Etymology 1
From .Noun
(en noun)- a suit of buff
- a visage rough, deformed, unfeatured, and a skin of buff
- (Shakespeare)
- He’s a history buff .
- to strip to the buff
- To be in buff is equivalent to being naked.
Derived terms
* in the buffAntonyms
* (video games) debuff * (video games) nerfAdjective
(en-adj)- The bouncer was a big, buff dude with tattoos, a shaved head, and a serious scowl.
- The appearance of logic often derives from faulty syllogisms such as Sgt. Koon's conclusion that King was an ex-con because he was "buffed out " (heavily muscled). The thinking is: "ex-cons are often buffed out; this man is buffed out; therefore, this man is an ex-con."
Derived terms
* buff-tip moth * bufflyVerb
(en verb)- The enchanter buffed the paladin to prepare him to fight the dragon.
Derived terms
* buff out * buff up * buff wheelSynonyms
* (to make smooth and shiny by rubbing) wax, shine, polish, furbish, burnishAntonyms
* (video games) debuff * (video games) nerfSee also
*Etymology 2
(etyl) .Noun
(en noun)- Nathless so sore a buff to him it lent / That made him reel.
Derived terms
* blind man's buffpuff
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