chuff
Part of speech: adj
adv
noun
verb
Morphological type: simple
Etymology: 15th century, dialectal, from Middle English chuffe (“a rustic, boor”), in noun sense “stupid fellow”. Adjective sense “surly, displeased” from 1832.
Inflected forms:
form: more chuff
pos: adj
tags: comparative
form: most chuff
pos: adj
tags: superlative
form: more chuff
pos: adv
tags: comparative
form: most chuff
pos: adv
tags: superlative
form: chuffs
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: chuffs
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: chuffing
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: chuffed
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: chuffed
pos: verb
tags: past
Senses:
gloss: Surly; annoyed; displeased; disgruntled.
pos: adj
tags: UK
examples: He refused to subscribe, he who had always given so largely to the cause; he was chuff, haughty, overbearing, and seemed bent upon antagonising every prominent suggestion that was made.
So I set out in the clear cold night, and began to think that great lords and ladies are not at all as well off as poor people thinks, with so much fine meat and drink wasted about them, and they having no wish for them; for I felt very chuff and uncomfortable, and was glad that I could not be in the same way again for six weeks and more to come.
"I am afraid of Lady Frances. And Miss Audrey can be very rude. She was very chuff with me on New Year's Day.” “She won't be chuff with you in my presence,” said Evelyn.
Well, I didn't mean with my eyes, Neb; so don't be so chuff on a fellow.
gloss: stupid; churlish; loutish.
pos: adj
tags: UK
dialectal
examples: such chuff Fellows , who would not willingly allow their Children any Pleasures
Says Paddy , “the old one, faith, looks very chuff, though, But loves that big blackguard, I mean Lundy snuff, though;
The chuff old Joe to vex has come, The Doctor—who but he?—Parnell, and all the Irish scum, Have noisy vowed to be.
Neville Custance is a very chuff Boy indeed as I ever saw, seem displeased & cross with every thing - would not eat a bit of Cake when brought to him.
gloss: In a chuff manner.
pos: adv
examples: Macbeth when he talk'd very chuff About fighting -- how soon he got floor'd With a yard of cold steel by Macduff, And mine was that Wonderful Sword.
I was therefore obliged, sore against my will, to apply again to Carnot, who spoke very chuff about the trouble I gave him to write a second memorandum.
'I know I spoke chuff, aye, but – she wouldn't listen. She'll never agree ...'
gloss: A coarse or stupid fellow.
pos: noun
examples: Hang ye, gorbellied knaves, are ye undone? / No, ye fat chuffs, I would your store were here!
gloss: To make noisy puffing sounds, as of a steam locomotive.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: The horses stumbled along, coughing and chuffing.
[…] and the small lit up train that chuffed past in the cutting made it seem like real night.
They walk together in silence while behind them a freight train chuffs and screaks through the crossing.
The pigeons chuff and chortle off in indignant disappointment.
Far less straightforward was what happened at about 0130 on Friday June 2 1944, as a long goods train was chuffing and clanking its unhurried way across the darkened landscape towards Soham, from Ely.
gloss: To break wind.
pos: verb
tags: UK
slang
gloss: Of a powder, propellant, or explosive charge: to become extinguished and reignited intermittently.
pos: verb
examples: 1967 Leo Allen Lukenas: The ignition transient in small solid propellant rocket motors. Princeton University
Double base propellants often require ignition pressures of as much as 400 psia to avoid the problem of chuffing or hangfires.
The original work of Huffington on chuffing and oscillatory burning of cordite goes back to the beginning of the 1950s.
Chuffing followed by full recovery to normal functioning (Figure 3)
The pressure at which chuffing occurs depends on the powder composition and on the temperature of the charge. The lowering of the initial charge temperature facilitates chuffing.
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