different between duffer vs doffer

English

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?d?f?/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?d?f?/
• Rhymes: -?f?(?)

Adjective

duffer

1. comparative form of duff: more duff

Noun

duffer (plural duffers)

1. (informal) An incompetent or clumsy person.
2. (sports) A player having little skill, especially a golfer who duffs.
3. (archaic) A pedlar or hawker, especially one selling cheap or substandard goods.
4. (archaic) Cheap or substandard goods sold by a duffer.
5. A cow that does not produce milk.
   • 1908, Proceedings of the Agricultural Society of Trinidad and Tobago, Volume 8, page 116,

     We have some good cows in this State, but, unfortunately, we have too many duffer cows that are not only being fed and milked at a loss hut are eating up a portion of the profit of the good cow which is being milked alongside them.

   • 1934, Victorian Department of Agriculture, Journal of Agriculture, Volume 32, page 293,

     The truth is that cattlemen love a typical cow for her beauty and symmetry of form ; but every herd-testing dairyman knows that an ugly animal may be a good producer, while many a beautiful cow is a duffer.

6. (Australia, dated) A cattle thief or thief of other livestock; one who alters the brands of cattle.
   • 2011, Clancy Tucker, Gunnedah Hero, unnumbered page,

     The cattle duffer?s escape would have been impeded by those young ones. Calves can be unruly unless you move them carefully in the company of their mothers.
7. A racing pigeon that does not perform well.
8. (entomology) Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the genus Discophora.

Synonyms

• (incompetent person): see Thesaurus:unskilled person
• (livestock thief): see Thesaurus:rustler

Translations

Anagrams

• ruffed

English

Etymology

doff +? -er

Noun

doffer (plural doffers)

1. (textile manufacturing) A revolving cylinder, or a vibrating bar with teeth, in a carding machine, which doffs, or strips off, the cotton or fiber from the cards.
2. A worker who replaces full bobbins by empty ones on the throstle or ring frames.

Derived terms

• doffer shaft
• ring doffer

Related terms

• doffing comb

References

Anagrams

• fforde, offer'd, offred

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?d?.f?r/
• Hyphenation: dof?fer
• Rhymes: -?f?r

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch duvers, duve (“dove, pigeon”).

Noun

doffer m (plural doffers, diminutive doffertje n, feminine duif or duivin)

1. male dove, a cock pigeon

   Synonyms: duiver, mannetjesduif

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the main entry.

Adjective

doffer

1. Comparative form of dof