Green’s Dictionary of Slang

chuff n.1

[dial. chuff, surly, ill-tempered]

1. a generally derisive name for anyone seen as boorish, unsophisticated or rude.

[[UK] Promptuarium Parvulorum 77/1: Choffe or chuffe, rusticus].
[UK]Udall (trans.) Erasmus’ Apophthegms (1564) Bk II 123: Therewithall a great gorrebealyed chuff.
[UK]T. Drant (trans.) ‘The seconde Satyre’ Horace his Satyres Bk I Avii: The answer say the neuer thriftes, was giuen in the Cue, Well fare his hearte: the chuffes the same with deepe disprayse pursue.
[UK]W. Warner Albion’s England Bk 5 xxvi 114: Now the lustfull Chuffe was come to single out his game.
[UK]Sidney Arcadia II (1912) 312: That saw a butcher, a butcherlie chuffe indeed [...] calling Zelmane all the vile names of butcherly eloquence.
[UK]Jonson Every Man Out of his Humour Dramatis Personae: Sordido, a wretched hob-nailed chuff.
[UK]Rowlands Humours Ordinarie F1: His journey is in Paules [...] Some other time stumbling on wealthy Chuffes, Worth gulling, then he swaggers all in huffes.
[UK]Jonson Staple of News IV i: It was spitefully done of the poet, to make the chuff take him off in his height, when he was going to do all his brave deeds.
[UK]J. Phillips Maronides (1678) VI 100: Swift Jemmy, or the Croyden Chuff.
[UK]E.V. Kenealy Goethe: a New Pantomime in Poetical Works 2 (1878) 336: Blusterer, Saucebox, Smell-feast, Weasel, / Swasher, Swaggerer, Princock, Chuff.
[UK]G.A. Sala Twice Round the Clock 209: The principal nature of the ‘Surly Club’ appeared to lie in the members all being surly, ill-tempered, wrangling chuffs.
[US]Hopsville Kentuckian (KY) 30 Nov. 3/2: Rigged out in goggles and motoring stuff, / He looked like a regular everyday ‘chuff’.
[Ire]Joyce Ulysses 374: Thou chuff, thou puny, thou got in the peasestraw thou losel, thou chitterling.

2. a miser.

[UK]W. Adlington (trans) Golden Asse 37: [W]e learned where a riche chuffe called Chryseros did dwell, who for feare of offices in ye publique weal, dissimuled his estate, and liued sole and solitary in a small cote [...] and went dayly in ragged & torne apparell.
[UK]G. Turbervile ‘A Promise’ in Chalmers Eng. Poets (1810) II 618/2: The Chuffes for greedie gaine / and lukers loone expende / Their New yeares gifts upon their Lords / as erie yeare hath ende.
[UK]Shakespeare Henry IV Pt 1 III iii: Hang ye, ye gorbellied knaves, are ye undone? No, ye fat chuffs.
[UK]Dekker & Webster Northward Hoe V i: He’s not one of your fat city chuffs.
[UK]T. Randolph Muses’ Looking Glass IV iv: The chuff’s crowns Imprison’d in his trusty chest methinks.
[Scot](con. early 17C) W. Scott Fortunes of Nigel I 204: The father is held a close chuff, though a fanciful.
[UK]R. Nares Gloss. (1888) I 162: chuff. A term of reproach, usually applied to avaricious old citizens; of uncertain derivation.
[UK]Northern Liberator (Tyne & Wear) 28 Sept. 4/4: The best joke of all [...] is the Prayer of these Cornish chuffs to the people — ‘For God’s sake, not to take any money out of the Savings’ Bank’.

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