huff v.
1. to act arrogantly, aggressively [SE huff, to bully, to hector; note 1910s–20s milit. jargon huff, to kill].
‘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.
Every Man In his Humour I i: And still you huff it, with a kind of carriage As void of wit, as of humanity. | ||
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. | ||
‘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. | ||
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. | ||
in Pills to Purge Melancholy II 9: The sneaking Clown all intriguing does Marr, / Like Apprentices Huffing and Ranting. | ||
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 New Song’ 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.’. | ‘The Officious Messenger’ in Chalmers||
, , | Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue. | |
Lex. Balatronicum. | ||
Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue. |
(b) to scold, to reprove, to bully.
‘The Batchelor’s Ballad’ in 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. | ||
‘Song of the Wives’ in Court Satires of the Restoration (1976) 112: We poor innocent virgins have reason to huff. | ||
Double Gallant III i: Why must you huff your Husband, Hussy? | ||
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. | ||
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. | ||
Homer Travestie (1764) II 12: The trembling waiters dare not stay [...] Afraid of drubbing, kicks, or cuffing, / And leave the dreadful captain huffing. | ||
Burlesque Homer (3rd edn) 179: [as cit. 1762]. | ||
‘song’ in Bullfinch 232: He snubb’d me and huff’d me — but let me alone. | ||
Works (1842) 64/1: But then to see how ye’re negleckit, / How huff’d and cuff’d, and disrespeckit! | Twa Dogs in||
Burlesque Homer (4th edn) I 45: He huffs the Greeks, and damns their eyes. | ||
Lex. Balatronicum. | ||
London Guide 99: Should you wish to decline [...] at least huff the intruder with ‘hands off, fellow!’. | ||
Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue. | ||
‘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. | ||
(con. 1715) Jack Sheppard (1917) 117: If they do [...] beat the watch or huff a magistrate, they pay for their pastime. | ||
Little History of US 146: The two nations huffed at each other and threatened war, but the crisis ended peacefully. |
(c) to annoy, to offend.
Busy Body Act III: Impossible, without he huffs the lady, and makes love to Sir Francis. | ||
Polly I ix: When kings by their huffing / Have blown up a squabble. | ||
Homer’s Iliad 27: Call me ragamuffin, / When I am daunted by your huffing. | (trans.)||
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. | ||
Burlesque Homer (3rd edn) 25: You know it is a dang’rous thing / For any man to huff a king. | ||
Aurora (Phila.) 18 Dec. n.p.: The Philadelphia Gazette is huffed at our stating a fate. | ||
Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland (1862) 145: It was plain he was huffed. | ||
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. | ||
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. | ||
Dict. of Modern Sl. etc. | ||
Signa II 324: ‘She is a stupid little mule,’ thought the old woman, angrily. [...] And she went away huffed. | ||
Doctor 31: Huffed is he, eh? And who regards him? [F&H]. | ||
My Lady of the Chimney Corner 26: He loves all His children and gets huffed at none. | ||
Sel. Correspondence of Burke and Cowley (1990) 119: They are a bit huffed. | letter 5 May in Jay||
Final Count 883: That’s what huffed ’em: old Stockton giving his celebrated rendering of a mechanic. | ||
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.
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].
Shoedog 65: [I]t was in that pool hall’s bathroom where Gorman first huffed glue. | ||
Crime Fighter 219: [T]he kids who huffed floor wax didn’t even bother trying to argue. | ||
Mad mag. June 37: Huffing radiator fluid is starting to take its toll on the boy. | ||
Ten Storey Love Song 3: He gors through to the bedroom to huff some Lynx Africa. | ||
Guardian CiF 4 June 🌐 Here in Devon they huff the stuff [i.e. nitrous oxide] while they drive the rural lanes. | ||
Cherry 157: When we didn’t have any proper drugs, there was always computer duster to huff. | ||
Straight Dope [ebook] [S]weet little Danny, who died huffing a can of aerosol. |
3. (drugs) to smoke, e.g. tobacco, marijuana.
Nick’s Trip 18: [We] split a bumper of beer and huffed half a pack of Marlboros. | ||
Dirty Words [ebook] Johnnie sat behind the glass partition in his prison oranges, huffing a Newport. | ‘So Long, Johnnie Scumbag’ in||
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
to take responsibility for the bill in a public house.
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. | ||
, | 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. | |
Lex. Balatronicum. | ||
Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue. |