huff, v. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

huff v.

1. to act arrogantly, aggressively [SE huff, to bully, to hector; note 1910s–20s milit. jargon huff, to kill].

c.1800

‘The British Spy’ Collection of Eng. Ballads 86: They have so much got in fashion of taking of snuff / If you ask for a ha’peth shop-keepers will huff.

(a) to swagger.

1577		J. Grange The golden Aphroditis n.p.: Huff, huff, let vs huff it, by day and by night.
1581		Seneca [trans.] Tragedies n.p.: Huff, royst it out couragiously, take bridle at thy will / Let not the flowre of plooming yeares all fruitles fade away.
1598		Jonson Every Man In his Humour I i: And still you huff it, with a kind of carriage As void of wit, as of humanity.
1672		Wycherley Love in a Wood II i: Coyness in a woman is as little sign of true modesty, as huffing in a man, is of true courage.
a.1684		Roscommon ‘Tom Ross’s Ghost to his Pupil’ Works of Rochester, Roscommon, Dorset (1720) 8: Shame of my Life, Disturber of my Tomb [...] Huffing to Cowards, fawning to the Brave.
1697		Behn False Count Epilogue: Of the faux Braves I’ve had some little trial, / There’s nothing gives ’em credit but denyal; / As when a Coward will pretend to Huffing. / Offer to fight, away sneaks Bully-Ruffin.
1719		in D’Urfey Pills to Purge Melancholy II 9: The sneaking Clown all intriguing does Marr, / Like Apprentices Huffing and Ranting.
1723		Swift ‘A New Song’ in Chalmers Eng. Poets XI (1810) 446/2: If he goes to the baker, the baker will huff, And twenty-pence have for a two-penny loaf.
a.1742		W. Somerville ‘The Officious Messenger’ in Chalmers Eng. Poets (1810) XI 227/1: Her ladyship began to huff [...] ‘Tis wrong to make your kennel here – Dogs in their place are good I own – But in the parlour – foh! – be gone.’.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.

(b) to scold, to reprove, to bully.

1677		‘The Batchelor’s Ballad’ in Ebsworth Roxburghe Ballads (1891) VII:2 335: But befoe I’le be rul’d, and longer, or fool’d / By a woman, I’le huff her.
1682		‘Song of the Wives’ in Wilson Court Satires of the Restoration (1976) 112: We poor innocent virgins have reason to huff.
1707		Cibber Double Gallant III i: Why must you huff your Husband, Hussy?
1714		T. Lucas Lives of the Gamesters (1930) 183: He huff’d me, and said, Sure, Mr Hurley had not made my Lady so mean, as to trade with cits with their paultry notes.
1722		Defoe Hist. of Colonel Jack (1723) 33: What’s that to you, said I, how ragg’d I am [...] I have Money to pay for it; but I can go where I shan’t be Huffed at for looking.
1762		Bridges Homer Travestie (1764) II 12: The trembling waiters dare not stay [...] Afraid of drubbing, kicks, or cuffing, / And leave the dreadful captain huffing.
1772		Bridges Burlesque Homer (3rd edn) 179: [as cit. 1762].
1781		‘song’ in Bullfinch 232: He snubb’d me and huff’d me — but let me alone.
1786		Burns Twa Dogs in Works (1842) 64/1: But then to see how ye’re negleckit, / How huff’d and cuff’d, and disrespeckit!
1797		Bridges Burlesque Homer (4th edn) I 45: He huffs the Greeks, and damns their eyes.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1818		W. Perry London Guide 99: Should you wish to decline [...] at least huff the intruder with ‘hands off, fellow!’.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1833		‘I Will Have My Way’ in Rake’s Budget in Spedding & Watt (eds) Bawdy Songbooks (2011) III 66: ’Twas useless to huff me — I would have my way.
1839		(con. 1715) W.H. Ainsworth Jack Sheppard (1917) 117: If they do [...] beat the watch or huff a magistrate, they pay for their pastime.
2015		J.W. Davidson Little History of US 146: The two nations huffed at each other and threatened war, but the crisis ended peacefully.

1709		S. Centlivre Busy Body Act III: Impossible, without he huffs the lady, and makes love to Sir Francis.
1729		J. Gay Polly I ix: When kings by their huffing / Have blown up a squabble.
1749		H. Fitzcotton (trans.) Homer’s Iliad 27: Call me ragamuffin, / When I am daunted by your huffing.
1766		P. de Marivaux Agreeable Surprise (translation) II ii: Ods-daisy! but I’ll huff him; will that do? I’ll pull his wig. He’s mighty proud of his wig.
1772		Bridges Burlesque Homer (3rd edn) 25: You know it is a dang’rous thing / For any man to huff a king.
1800		Aurora (Phila.) 18 Dec. n.p.: The Philadelphia Gazette is huffed at our stating a fate.
1825		T.C. Croker Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland (1862) 145: It was plain he was huffed.
1845		J.F. Cooper Satanstoe I 81: Jason insisted that the young lady was huffed, as he called it, and that she had thus refused to take the money merely because she was thus offended.
1851		Lytton My Novel (1884–5) I Bk I 41: Though the Squire was inclined to be very friendly to all his neighbours, he was, like most country gentlemen, rather easily huffed.
1860		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc.
1875		‘Ouida’ Signa II 324: ‘She is a stupid little mule,’ thought the old woman, angrily. [...] And she went away huffed.
1885		T.E. Brown Doctor 31: Huffed is he, eh? And who regards him? [F&H].
1913		A. Irvine My Lady of the Chimney Corner 26: He loves all His children and gets huffed at none.
1922		M. Cowley letter 5 May in Jay Sel. Correspondence of Burke and Cowley (1990) 119: They are a bit huffed.
1926		‘Sapper’ Final Count 883: That’s what huffed ’em: old Stockton giving his celebrated rendering of a mechanic.
1952		B. MacMahon Children of the Rainbow 91: Peter was squarely huffed.

(d) to throw one’s arms over a victim’s shoulders and then take the money from his pockets; the assault requires two partners, one to grab and one to rifle the clothes.

1832

Examiner (London) 845/1: Johnson huffed, as it is called, the murdered man; that is, threw his arms over his victim’s shoulders, and took the money from his pockets ... Johnson huffed and Fare robbed the deceased .

2. (drugs) to sniff solvents or similar volatile substances; thus huffing, inhaling [SE huff, to blow].

1994		G. Pelecanos Shoedog 65: [I]t was in that pool hall’s bathroom where Gorman first huffed glue.
1999		J. Maple Crime Fighter 219: [T]he kids who huffed floor wax didn’t even bother trying to argue.
2004		Mad mag. June 37: Huffing radiator fluid is starting to take its toll on the boy.
2009		R. Milward Ten Storey Love Song 3: He gors through to the bedroom to huff some Lynx Africa.
2015		Guardian CiF 4 June 🌐 Here in Devon they huff the stuff [i.e. nitrous oxide] while they drive the rural lanes.
2019		N. Walker Cherry 157: When we didn’t have any proper drugs, there was always computer duster to huff.
2021		T. Swerdlow Straight Dope [ebook] [S]weet little Danny, who died huffing a can of aerosol.

3. (drugs) to smoke, e.g. tobacco, marijuana.

1993		G.P. Pelecanos Nick’s Trip 18: [We] split a bumper of beer and huffed half a pack of Marlboros.
2012		T. Robinson ‘So Long, Johnnie Scumbag’ in Dirty Words [ebook] Johnnie sat behind the glass partition in his prison oranges, huffing a Newport.
2013		Guardian On Line 24 Aug. 🌐 By the naughty Noughties, every one was blazing up [...] Copious shots of hoodie-clad fratboys huffing on pipes.

In phrases

stand the huff (v.) [stand v.² (1) + SE huff/sense 1a above; the image is of the boastfulness that can underpin the gesture]

to take responsibility for the bill in a public house.

c.1786		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue ms. additions n.p.: Huff, to stand the huff to be answerable for the Reckoning in a Publick house.
1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue (2nd, 3rd edn) n.p.: To stand the huff; to be answerable for the reckoning in a public house.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.