Skulk vs Bluff - What's the difference?
skulk | bluff |
to conceal oneself; to hide
* Dryden
* 1852 , Charles Dickens, Bleak House ,
to sneak around, sneak about
* 1904 , Paul Laurence Dunbar,
to shirk; to avoid obligation
An act of bluffing; a false expression of the strength of one's position in order to intimidate; braggadocio.
(poker) An attempt to represent oneself as holding a stronger hand than they actually do.
(US, dated) The card game poker.
((poker) To make a bluff ; to give the impression that one's hand is stronger than it is.
(by analogy ) To frighten or deter with a false show of strength or confidence; to give a false impression of strength or temerity in order to intimidate and gain some advantage.
A high, steep bank, as by a river or the sea, or beside a ravine or plain; a cliff with a broad face.
(senseid) (Canadian Prairies) A small wood or stand of trees, typically poplar or willow.
Having a broad, flattened front.
Rising steeply with a flat or rounded front.
* Falconer
* Judd
Surly; churlish; gruff; rough.
* 1883:
Abrupt; roughly frank; unceremonious; blunt; brusque.
* I. Taylor
As a noun skulk
is a group of foxes.As a verb skulk
is to conceal oneself; to hide.As a proper noun bluff is
the southernmost town in the south island of new zealand, and seaport for the southland region.skulk
English
Verb
(en verb)- Discovered and defeated of your prey, / You skulked behind the fence, and sneaked away.
- Behind dingy blind and curtain, in upper story and garret, skulking more or less under false names, false hair, false titles, false jewellery, and false histories, a colony of brigands lie in their first sleep.
- Fully a dozen of the citizens had seen him hastening toward the woods and noted his skulking air [...]
bluff
English
(wikipedia bluff)Etymology 1
From (etyl) .Noun
(en noun)- That is only bluff''', or a '''bluff .
- John's bet was a bluff : he bet without even so much as a pair.
- (Bartlett)
Verb
(en verb)- John bluffed by betting without even a pair.
- The government claims it will call an election if this bill does not pass. Is it truly ready to do so, or is it bluffing ?
Derived terms
* bluffer * double bluff * triple bluff * quadruple bluff * semi-bluffEtymology 2
Related to blaff, "smooth".Noun
(en noun)Adjective
(er)- the bluff bows of a ship
- a bluff or bold shore
- Its banks, if not really steep, had a bluff and precipitous aspect.
- he had a bluff , rough-and-ready face, all roughened and reddened and lined in his long travels.
- a bluff''' answer; a '''bluff''' manner of talking; a '''bluff sea captain
- There is indeed a bluff pertinacity which is a proper defence in a moment of surprise.
