Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also guffery) lies, nonsense, twaddle.

1836		‘’ in New Cockalorum Songster in Spedding & Watt (eds) Bawdy Songbooks (2011) II 24: Stow your gab and guffery, / To every fakement I am fly.
1841		‘Ax My Eye’ Dublin Comic Songster 100: [as 1836].
1880		Harvard Crimson 29 Oct. 🌐 That’s enough, – / No more guff. [Ibid.] 21 Dec. I met an old and learned man, / And asked him ‘What is “guff”?’.
1884		C.F. Lummis letter 1 Dec. in Byrkit Letters from the Southwest (1989) 134: The natives take malicious pleasure in filling them with guff.
1899		Ade Fables in Sl. (1902) 64: If he wanted [...] everybody to believe he was a Nobby and Boss Minister he would have to hand out a little Guff.
1900		Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 3 Nov. 11/3: He ought to lake a sleeping powder and tear [sic] to the feathers instead of Jarring people’s nerves with that kind of old guff .
1906		E. Dyson Fact’ry ’Ands 219: ’E’s bin givin’ Magill guff erbout marriage.
1910		Sun. Times (Perth) 17 July 2nd sect.9/1: They Say [...] That the stupendous yap about black boxer Johnson’s classic attainments is gorgeous guff.
1914		N.Z. Observer 6 June 4/1: He did not instruct the C.P. to ‘stow that guff’.
1919		Van Loan ‘Mister Conley’ in Score by Innings (2004) 431: That was a fair sample of the guff that got into the papers.
1922		Colton & Randolph Rain II 145: You miserable snail snatcher [...] it makes me sick even to look at you. That’s what I think of you, coming to me with all that guff you spilled about salvation.
1939		B. Appel Power-House 252: Bittsy wouldn’t take guff from nobody.
1943		J. Binning Target Area 62: I’m open-minded myself [...] although, back home, we heard a lot of guff from some people.
1953		J. Thompson Alcoholics (1993) 38: Let these other characters take his guff if they wanted to.
1966		B. Reckord Skyvers III i: You call Adams’ simple guff writing.
1979		E. Torres After Hours 151: All the guff I been through.
1986		F. Taylor Auf Wiedersehen Pet Two 245: It’s quite insulting that they believe this newspaper story, and all this guff Moxey must have told them.
1991		R. Doyle Van (1998) 524: An’ if I hear anny more lies an’ guff ou’ o’ yis I’ll take those fuckin’ haircuts back off yis.
2005		J. Stahl I, Fatty 108: I never liked slinging this kind of guff in the first place.
2012		(con. 1943) G.S. Manson Coorparoo Blues [ebook] ‘Make up some guff for his wife, and then go fishin’’.
2017		L. McInerney Blood Miracles : ‘I believed your guff about the great rip-off’.
2023		R. Milward Man-Eating Typewriter 92: Musty anglo guff like [...] Billy Shaker.

2. insolence.

1894		J. London Tramp Diary in Jack London On the Road (1979) 57: If the old folks would only know how to treat a fellow when he comes home & not give him any guff it would be all right.
1902		E. Townsend Chimmie Fadden and Mr Paul 93: [They] gives me a guff about being a valet.
1912		Ade Knocking the Neighbors 107: She could hand out that Dear Boy line of Polite Guff to all of those rugged and self-made Bucks.
1929		S. Ornitz Haunch Paunch and Jowl 8: Don’t take none of their guff.
1939		‘Flann O’Brien’ At Swim-Two-Birds 119: In he marches to do his duty, getting the back of the bloody hand from the women and plenty of guff from the young fellows.
1949		N. Algren Man with the Golden Arm 69: The law wasn’t taking any such guff.
1955		‘Blackie’ Audett Rap Sheet 184: I wasn’t feeling like taking any guff.
1962		Ragen & Finston World’s Toughest Prison 802: guff—Back talk; or any meaningless or misleading talk.
1981		M. Gee Meg 217: Who needs your guff any more? What I need is my vino.
1991		(con. 1920s) O.D. Brooks Legs 137: I’ll have none of that guff from you, boy.
2001		(con. 1964–8) J. Ellroy Cold Six Thousand 31: You’re taking too much guff from me.

3. talk.

1900		A.H. Lewis ‘Mulberry Mary’ in Sandburrs 11: D’ fire push [...] gives Mary all sorts of guff and praise.
1905		Marvel III:61 2: Don’t you listen to no soft guff, mates.
1913		Dakota County Herald (NE) 4 Apr. 3/1: Maybe you can shoot the guff, so take another’s pearler’s peg and keep me company.
1924		G. Henderson Keys to Crookdom 407: Guff. Witless conversation.
1931		D. Runyon ‘The Lily of St. Pierre’ in Runyon on Broadway (1954) 139: He [...] always has a fair line of guff.
1941		K. Tennant Battlers 19: ‘Come off it, Dora,’ he said bluntly. ‘Don’t try to put that guff over us.’.
1956		J. Curtis Look Long Upon a Monkey 95: Right load of cobblers, all that guff about religion.
1963		H.S. Thompson letter 23 Aug. in Proud Highway (1997) 391: In reality, they’re not talking to you [...] but you’re the one who has to take the guff.
1978		P. Theroux Picture Palace 28: Did he have to listen to the sort of guff I had to endure?
1983		A. Payne ‘Willesden Suite’ Minder [TV script] 55: All this guff about the Common Market.
1999		Observer Rev. 1 Aug. 9: The Times reporter was deeply impressed by this guff.
2000		Observer Screen 13 Feb. 18: Without the irritation of all that promotional guff.

4. (US campus) trouble, problems.

1995

Eble Campus Sl. Apr. 5: guff – trouble, problems: ‘Don’t give me any of your guff’.