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tiff

noun
/tɪf/US

Etymology

From Middle English tiffen, tif, tiffe (“to adorn, dress up; to arrange (a hairstyle); to disguise”), from Old French tifer, tiffer (“to adorn, dress up”) (modern French attifer (“to deck out”)), from Frankish *tipfōn, *tippōn (“to decorate”), possibly related to Proto-Germanic *tuppaz (“plait of hair, tuft; summit, top”) (see the further etymology at that entry). The noun is derived from the verb. cognates * Dutch tippen (“to clip the points or ends of the hair”) * English tip (noun) * Middle High German zipfen (“to bob; to flutter; to frisk, prance, skip; to sashay”) * Old Norse tippa (“point, tip”)

  1. derived from *tipfōn✻
  2. derived from tifer
  3. inherited from tiffen

Definitions

  1. A (generally small) argument or disagreement

    A (generally small) argument or disagreement; a petty quarrel, a spat.

    • My Lord and I have had another little—Tiff, ſhall I call it? It came not up to a quarrel. Married people vvould have enough to do, if they vvere to trouble their friends every time they miſunderſtood one another.
    • There's Tom, now, since this tiff with Mrs. Cat, the scoundrel plays the Grand Turk here!
    • [T]he blithe young couple were a pleasant sight to see, as they twirled merrily round and round, feeling more friendly than ever after their small tiff.

  2. A brief outburst or period of bad temper

    A brief outburst or period of bad temper; a snit; also (rare) any brief outburst (for example, of laughter).

    • [A]s if / Returning homevvards in a furious Tiff; / Your Hoſt declares, he's ſorry at his Heart, / And humbly acts the penitential Part.
    • Wilhelmina […] answered his romances and him with tiffs of laughter, in a prettily fleeting manner.

  3. To be involved in a (generally small) argument or disagreement

    To be involved in a (generally small) argument or disagreement; to squabble.

    • I very much indeed approve / Of maidens moderating love / Until they've twenty pounds; / […] / Until the twenty pounds were safe, / She tiff'd at Tim, she ran from Ralph, / Squire nodded … deuce a curtsy!
    • Poor Newton! he little knew to what he owed that glance. The fact is, the Captain was late, and Miss Bowers tiffed.
  4. ›+ 13 more definitions

    1. Alternative letter-case form of TIFF (acronym of tagged image file format).

    2. Synonym of tiffin (“to eat a (light) midday meal or snack

      Synonym of tiffin (“to eat a (light) midday meal or snack; to have lunch, to lunch”).

      • Go home, Jack. I will tiff with you to-day at half-past two.

    3. A small draught or sip of liquor (especially diluted or poor quality liquor) or punch.

      • Come, Captain, let not your noble Courage be caſt dovvn; vvhat ſay you to a Glaſs of vvhite VVine, or a Tiff of Punch, by VVay of VVhet?
      • "Good wife," said Skriegh, gathering up his mouth, and sipping his tiff of brandy punch with great solemnity […]

    4. Liquor, especially diluted or poor quality liquor.

    5. To drink (liquor), especially slowly or in small amounts

      To drink (liquor), especially slowly or in small amounts; to sip.

      • Nor did the Doctor fail to go / To the bright region of the Row; / There tiff'd his punch and talk'd and smok'd, / Was sometimes grave and sometimes jok'd; […]

    6. To deck out or dress (someone or oneself, or their body or hair).

      • Is the Miſs under a force vvhen ſhe culls among her trinkets vvith curious toil to tiff herſelf out in the most engaging manner, or teazes pappa for money to buy a nevv-faſhioned ſilk?

    7. To deck out or dress one's body or hair.

      • I never pin up my Hair vvith Proſe. I fancy ones Hair vvou'd not curl if it vvere pinn'd up vvith Proſe. […] Ay, poor Mincing tift and tift all the morning.

    8. The way in which one's body or hair is decked out or dressed.

      • Did you mark the beau Tiff of his VVig, vvhat a deal of Pains he took to toſs it back, vvhen the very VVeight thereof vvas like to dravv him from his Seat?

    9. Acronym of tagged image file format.

    10. An image stored in the TIFF format.

    11. A file using TIFF file format

    12. A diminutive of the female given name Tiffany.

    13. Alternative form of TIFF.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for tiff. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA