Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (orig. W.I., esp. Rasta) a marijuana or hashish cigarette [spiflicate v.; i.e. the effects].

1936		Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 3 Oct. 35: Here is the hot-bed of ganja smoking ... and even the children may be seen at times taking what is better known as their ‘spliff’ [OED].
1953		R. Mais Hills were Joyful Together (1966) 214: He was smoking a spliff. He could smell the weed.
1959		C. MacInnes Absolute Beginners 76: He’d just been dragging on a splif inside the toilet.
1961		T. Taylor Baron’s Court All Change (2011) 33: ‘I’ve made six spliffs up’.
1968		A. Salkey Late Emancipation of Jerry Stover (1982) 97: ‘You feel up to a secon’ spliff?’ he asked cautiously.
1971		M. Novotny Kings Road 133: Pass me my bag, there’s another spliff in it.
1980		M. Thelwell Harder They Come 284: At lunch time every day Chin smoked a single spliff.
1985		Grandmaster Melle Mel ‘King of The Streets’ 🎵 Selling dope, smoke, smack, and crack a lack a lack, the sess mess spliff, or the chunk, chunky black.
1992		V. Headley Yardie 26: D. was busy drawing on a spliff of prime sensimillia.
1993–2003		Urban Dict. 🌐 spleef A rolled marajuana [sic] cigarette.
1999		K. Sampson Powder 82: When did serial pot-smoking ever help sharpen the senses? Long Richard was never without a spliff on the go.
2002		R.G. Barrett Mystery Bay Blues 157: What about de ganja, mon [...] Are we goin’ to smoke de spleefs.
2005		B. Hare Urban Grimshaw 44: All right to make a spliff, Frank, mate?
2007		Away Team ‘Greedy’ 🎵 I don’t want a hit of it, I want the whole spliff.
2010		K. Richards Life 14: There was time to light up a spliff.
2013		French Montana ‘Pop That’ 🎵 Sorry that’s a habit, smoke a spliff, and then I vanish.
2020		Guardian G2 10 Apr. 4/2: Spliffs the size of tubas.
2020		D. Winslow ‘Paradise’ in Broken 264: He’s enjoying a very good spliff.

2. (US campus) a particle of food lodged between teeth [ety. unknown].

1983

Eble Campus Sl. Mar. 5: spleef – [...] any particle of food caught between the teeth: After finishing her corn on the cob, Sara smiled and proudly displayed her yellow spleefs.

3. (UK prison) a hand-rolled cigarette; a cigarette-paper.

1980		S. McConville ‘Prison Lang.’ in Michaels & Ricks (1980) 525: Tobacco [...] is smoked in a roll-up or spliff, the paper of which is called a skin.
1986		B. Robinson Withnail and I [film script] danny: The joint I am about to roll requires a craftsman and can utilize up to twelve spliffs. It is called a Camberwell carrot. marwood: It’s impossible to use 12 papers on one joint. danny: It is impossible to roll a Camberwell carrot with anything less.

4. cannabis.

1983		Eble Campus Sl. Mar. 5: spleef – marijuana.
2000		N. Griffiths Grits 9: Ther all wirkin up an appetite in thuh front room with spliff an videos.
2002		E. Damerson in Dusted Mag. at Trikont.com 🌐 As capitalism and debauchery proceeded from flirtation to full-tilt codependency, the media needed a patsy. The dew was scapegoated for political reasons outside the scope of, uh, a record review, let’s say that’s what established the spliff’s furtive aura.
2007		Skins ser. 1 ep. 1 [TV script] We’ll have a shed-load of spliff.
2016		Q. Vidal ‘Third Rail’ 🎵 A video with a hella weed in it / So they see CE ain’t afraid of no spliff.

5. (US black) a male friend or companion [ety. unknown].

2000

Ebonics Primer at www.dolemite.com 🌐 spliff Definition: male companion or friend; term used to greet someone Example: Yo spliff, ima smoke some of this phat cheeba!