different between toff vs taff

English

Etymology

Probably an alteration of tuft, referring to the gold tassel on the cap worn by titled undergraduates at English universities.

Noun

toff (plural toffs)

1. (obsolete) An elegantly dressed person.
2. (Britain, derogatory) A person of the upper class or with pretensions to it, who usually communicates an air of superiority.
   • 1972, Donald Gould, "A Groundling's Notebook", New Scientist, Vol. 55, No. 812, p. 512:

     I came home first class—up the front end with the toffs—semi-anaesthetised throughout the trip by caviar and free champagne—and to hell with frugality and the conservation of resources.

   • 1998 April 11, Paul McCartney, Billboard, p. 34:

     George Martin always seemed to me to be a "toff" and a gentleman even though his roots, like many of us, were in the common people. George has a touch of class that is quite impressive.

   • 2012, John Roberts, How the Dice Fell, p. 186:

     I like to see the toffs being toffs. The women all glammed up, the blokes in their tails and top 'ats, all braying and flinging their money around. Confirms all my prejudices. Just a reminder of who my enemies are.

   • 2000 December 18, BBC and Bafta Tribute to Michael Caine, 16:43–17:05:

     Parkinson: You made films before, but the part that really made your name was Zulu, wasn't it […] and there of course—against type—you played the toff, you played the officer.

     Caine: I played the officer, yeah, and everybody thought I was like that. Everyone was so shocked when they met me, this like Cockney guy had played this toffee-nosed git.

Antonyms

• pleb

Derived terms

• toffy

Translations

See also

• la-di-da

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “toff”, in Online Etymology Dictionary

Further reading

• toff on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

English

Etymology

Shortened from Taffy, from Welsh Dafydd (“David”).

Pronunciation

Noun

taff (plural taffs)

1. (slang) A Welshman.

Anagrams

• FATF, FTFA

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /taf/
• Rhymes: -af

Noun

taff m (plural taffs)

1. (slang) Alternative form of taf

German

Alternative forms

• tough

Etymology

Originally from Yiddish ????? (tof), from Hebrew ????? (tov, “good”). Modern usage is from English tough, influenced by preexisting German tapfer.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /taf/

Adjective

taff (comparative taffer, superlative am taffsten)

1. (colloquial) tough; robust; assertive and not overly sensitive

   Enrique Iglesias über seine Lebensgefährtin: “Ich wünschte, ich wäre nur halb so taff und kämpferisch.”

Declension