different between biffin vs tiffin

English

Alternative forms

• beefing

Etymology

Possibly from beef, because of the red colour.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?b?f?n/

Noun

biffin (plural biffins)

1. A deep-red cooking apple native to Britain.
2. Such an apple baked and flattened as a snack, popular in Norfolk.

French

Noun

biffin m (plural biffins)

1. chiffonier
2. (informal, military) infantryman

English

Etymology

Apparently from English tiffing, present participle of tiff (“to take a small drink, to sip”) (slang).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?t?f?n/
• Hyphenation: tif?fin

Noun

tiffin (countable and uncountable, plural tiffins)

1. (Britain, India) A (light) midday meal or snack; luncheon.
2. (Britain, India) A container used to carry a tiffin; tiffin box, tiffin carrier, tiffin container.

Derived terms

• tiffin box
• tiffin carrier
• tiffin container

Descendants

• Chinese Pidgin English: tiffin

Verb

tiffin (third-person singular simple present tiffins, present participle tiffining, simple past and past participle tiffined)

1. (Britain, India, intransitive) To eat a (light) midday meal or snack.

Synonyms

• tiff

Chinese Pidgin English

Etymology

From English tiffin.

Noun

tiffin

1. luncheon

References

• Gow, W. S. P. (1924) Gow’s Guide to Shanghai, 1924: A Complete, Concise and Accurate Handbook of the City and District, Especially Compiled for the Use of Tourists and Commercial Visitors to the Far East, Shanghai, page 108: “Tiffin: (Indian) luncheon.”