Stiff vs Spiff - What's the difference?
stiff | spiff |
Of an object, rigid, hard to bend, inflexible.
*
*:“A tight little craft,” was Austin’s invariable comment on the matron;. ¶ Near her wandered her husband, orientally bland, invariably affable, and from time to time squinting sideways, as usual, in the ever-renewed expectation that he might catch a glimpse of his stiff , retroussé moustache.
(lb) Of policies and rules and their application and enforcement, inflexible.
Of a person, formal in behavior, unrelaxed.
(lb) Harsh, severe.
:
Of muscles, or parts of the body, painful, as a result of excessive, or unaccustomed exercise.
:
Potent.
:
Dead, deceased.
Of a penis, erect.
An average person, usually male, of no particular distinction, skill, or education, often a working stiff''''' or ''lucky '''stiff .
A person who is deceived, as a mark or pigeon in a swindle.
(slang) A cadaver, a dead person.
(US) A person who leaves (especially a restaurant) without paying the bill.
Any hard hand where it is possible to exceed 21 by drawing an additional card.
To fail to pay that which one owes (implicitly or explicitly) to another, especially by departing hastily.
* 1946 , William Foote Whyte, Industry and Society , page 129
* 1992 , Stephen Birmingham, Shades of Fortune , page 451
* 2007 , Mary Higgins Clark, I Heard That Song Before , page 154
(uncountable) Attractiveness or charm in dress, appearance, or manner
:Without a diploma, he relies on spiff alone to climb the corporate ladder.
(countable, dated) A well-dressed man
(countable, sales jargon) A bonus or other remuneration, given for reaching a sales goal or promoting the goods of a particular manufacturer. Originally from textile retailing, a percentage given for selling off surplus or out-of-fashion stock, of which the sales person could offer part as a discount to a customer.
(countable, colloquial, Jamaica) a hand-rolled marijuana cigarette; a joint
*2000 , Leone Ross, Tasting Songs'', in ''Dark Matter (ed. Sheree R. Thomas),
*2004 , Sander L. Gilman, Xun Zhou, Smoke: A Global History of Smoking ,
(usually with up ) to make spiffy (attractive, polished, or up-to-date)
:Our productivity would surely increase if we'd just spiff up this office a bit.
to reward (a salesperson) with a spiff.
to throw.
:I spiffed the turf over the edge and it went straight through the window and hit the officer.
As nouns the difference between stiff and spiff
is that stiff is an average person, usually male, of no particular distinction, skill, or education, often a working stiff''''' or ''lucky '''stiff while spiff is (uncountable) attractiveness or charm in dress, appearance, or manner.As verbs the difference between stiff and spiff
is that stiff is to fail to pay that which one owes (implicitly or explicitly) to another, especially by departing hastily while spiff is (usually with up ) to make spiffy (attractive, polished, or up-to-date).As an adjective stiff
is of an object, rigid, hard to bend, inflexible.stiff
English
Adjective
(er)Quotations
* (English Citations of "stiff")Derived terms
* stiffyNoun
(en noun)- A Working Stiff' s Manifesto: A Memoir of Thirty Jobs I Quit, Nine That Fired Me, and Three I Can't Remember was published in 2003.
- She convinced the stiff to go to her hotel room, where her henchman was waiting to rob him.
See also
* bindlestiff * See also ,Verb
(en verb)- Realizing he had forgotten his wallet, he stiffed the taxi driver when the cab stopped for a red light.
- We asked one girl to explain how she felt when she was "stiffed ." She said, You think of all the work you've done and how you've tried to please [them…].
- You see, poor Nonie really was stiffed' by Adolph in his will. He really ' stiffed her , Rose, and I really wanted to right that wrong.
- Then he stiffed the waiter with a cheap tip.
Anagrams
*spiff
English
Noun
(en noun)p76
- She rolled a spiff for us as she spoke, sifting the ganja between her fingers...
p144
- ...someone else built a spiff which he lit and gave to me...