spiffing
English edit
Pronunciation edit
Adjective edit
spiffing (comparative more spiffing, superlative most spiffing)
- (British, colloquial, dated) Very good, excellent.
- We're having a picnic at the races — how spiffing!
- (British, colloquial, dated) Smart or appealing in dress or appearance.
- I say, that outfit is simply spiffing.
- 1922 February, James Joyce, “[Episode 1]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […], →OCLC:
- I have a lovely pair with a hair strip, grey. You'll look spiffing in them.
- 2007, "Spiffing new image", Times Online, London, 18 May (retrieved 14 June 2007),
- Spiffing new image: ITV is developing an updated version of Spitting Image, with CGI graphics.
Usage notes edit
- Typically associated with the British upper class; often used in imitation of upper-class speakers.
Synonyms edit
Derived terms edit
Verb edit
spiffing
- present participle and gerund of spiff
References edit
- Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., 1989.