puff v.
1. to break wind [SE puff, to discharge a puff of air].
![[UK]](/static/img/flags/uk.png "United Kingdom") | ‘Panche’ in Bishop Percy’s Folio Manuscript of Loose and Humorous Songs (1868) 65: The woman ffisled : ‘nay, blow not,’ quoth hee / for cold enough they bee.’ / with that shee puffed againe, / & made him angry bee. | |
| ‘Aminta One Night Had Occasion To Piss’ in Merry Songs and Ballads (1897) I 202: To fix the Pot close to her own A---; / Then Floods did come, / One might have swom, / And puff a Whirl-wind flew from her B--. | |
| DSUE (8th edn) 930: [...] late C.19–20. |
2. (UK Und.) to impeach, to inform against.
| Life and Character of Moll King 12: But Moll, don’t puff. |
3. (US Und.) to speak, to tell.
| Slops Shave at a Broken Hone 10: The thickest pate Grub-street man of letters, / May puff his libel to the gaping mob. | |
![[US]](/static/img/flags/us.png "United States") | ‘Lady Kate, the Dashing Female Detective’ in et al. Old Sleuth’s Freaky Female Detectives (1990) 33/2: ‘Had he no news?’ ‘He didn’t “puff” anything.’. |
4. in drug uses [puff n. (5)].
(a) to smoke opium.
| ‘Fly Paper’ Story Omnibus (1966) 38: Is he still puffing them [i.e. opium pipes]? | |
| Und. Speaks n.p.: Puffing, indulging in opium smoking. | |
| Criminal Sl. (rev. edn) 184: puffing Smoking opium. | |
| USA Confidential 145: The corner of Geary and Webster is the social hangout of Frisco’s poppy-puffers. | |
| Bk of Jargon 343: puff: To smoke opium. |
(b) to smoke cannabis.
| Pittsburgh Courier (PA) 29 Oct. 11/1: Harlem Dictionary [...] Bring Down. Something depressing. These guys who go around puffing weeds, thinking that’s their qualification as a musician, bring us down. | |
| USA Confidential 31: They may be puffing marijuana. | |
| Look 8 Aug. in 1969: n.p.: The fringe majority, friends, roommates of ‘heads,’ puff pot a couple of times and use amphetamines before exams. | |
| Semi-Tough 227: She was puffing on a joint. | |
| ‘Big Brother’ Only Fools and Horses [TV script] I know a good joint when I puff one. | |
| in Living Dangerously 94: When I first started, hardly anyone puffed. | |
| Grits 191: Ee’s been puffin like uh fuckin chimney since the fuckin seventies like. | |
| Hashbash.com 🌐 No, it is not legal (yet) to smoke marijuana at the HASH BASH. [...] While at this point we can not endorse this we can pass on some pointers to keep you from getting busted. Here they are: It’s not the puffin’ it’s that passn’..........Smoke your own, they watch for that ‘ear yer hit’ passing of the jay. | |
| This Is How You Lose Her 96: I had to hide my puffing, while he twisted his joints right in the living room. |
5. (US Und.) to open a safe with an explosive charge [puff n. (4a)].
| Spokane Press (WA) 22 Sept. 7/3: They are going to go down state and puff a few boxes. | |
| Und. Speaks n.p.: Puffing a pete, dynamiting a safe. | |
| Criminal Sl. (rev. edn). |
6. (US black) to ride, walk or fly.
| Jives of Dr. Hepcat (1989) 5: Jackson, you may puff on down cross states, hit the high spots from Chi to sugar hill, do a statue act on 18th and Vine or tamp the stroll on Lenox Avenue. Wherever your anchor you just ain’t nowhere until you get a house party invite. |
In derivatives
(US drugs) intoxicated by a smokeable drug.
| Bangs 257: [He] arrived to find another of Doherty’s free-for-all, frenzied parties in full swing, about fifteen people half-naked and puffed out of their minds. |
In compounds
(US) an old car.
| Me – Gangster 228: Paint the whole puff box some other color. |
In phrases
to smoke cannabis.
![[SA]](/static/img/flags/sa.png "South Africa") | Big Issue (Cape Town) 10 Jan. 20/1: Not having puffed the magic dragon for over a decade, it was a shock to dicover that cannabis is still illegal. |