daff

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /dæf/
• Rhymes: -æf

Etymology 1

From Middle English daf, daffe (“fool, idiot”), from Old Norse daufr (“deaf, stupid”), from Proto-Germanic *daubaz (“deaf, stunned”), from Proto-Indo-European *dheubh- (“to whisk, whirl, smoke, be obscure”). Cognate with Swedish döf (“deaf”), Danish døv (“deaf, stupid”). More at deaf.

Noun

daff (plural daffs)

1. A fool; an idiot; a blockhead.

Derived terms

• bedaff
• daffish
• daffock
• daffy

Etymology 2

From Middle English daffen (“to render foolish”), from daf, daffe (“fool, idiot”). See above.

Verb

daff (third-person singular simple present daffs, present participle daffing, simple past and past participle daffed)

1. (intransitive) To be foolish; make sport; play; toy.
2. (UK, dialect) To daunt.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Grose to this entry?)

Derived terms

• daffing
• daffle

Etymology 3

Variant of doff.

Verb

daff (third-person singular simple present daffs, present participle daffing, simple past and past participle daffed)

1. (transitive) To toss aside; put off; doff.
   • 1599, William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing, Act 2 Scene 3

     DON PEDRO. I would she had bestowed this dotage on me; I would have daffed all other respects and made her half myself.

2. (transitive) To turn (someone) aside; divert.

Etymology 4

From daffodil.

Noun

daff (plural daffs)

1. (UK, informal) Short form of daffodil.

   Get your daffs here - £2 a bunch

Anagrams

• aff'd