biffin

English

Alternative forms

• beefing

Etymology

Possibly from beef, because of the red colour.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɪfɪn/

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.
   • 1843 December 19, Charles Dickens, “Stave Three. The Second of the Three Spirits.”, in A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC, page 82:

     […] there were Norfolk Biffins, squab and swarthy, setting off the yellow of the oranges and lemons, […]

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bi.fɛ̃/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

biffin m (plural biffins)

1. chiffonier
2. (informal, military) infantryman

Further reading

• “biffin”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.