toff

toff
n
British
a socially superior and/or wealthy per-son. The word dates from the middle of the 19th century and probably derives from 'tuft' (used of a titled undergradu-ate at Oxford or Cambridge who wore a decoration on his cap) rather than the later 'toffee-nosed'. The word had an archaic ring in the 1960s and early 1970s but, like other working-class terms relating to money and status, has been revived by modern cockneys and their 'upwardly-mobile' emulators. 'Max was trying to build a high-tech labo-ratory complex, but all kinds of posh people were blocking his path. Basically, nobody loves you if you're common and you presume to take liberties with toffs.' (Kate Saunders, Evening Standard, 17 May 1989)

Contemporary slang . 2014.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Toff — Toff, n. [Etym. uncertain.] A fop; a beau; a swell. [Slang, Eng.] Kipling. [Webster 1913 Suppl.] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • toff — [tɔf US ta:f] n BrE old fashioned someone who is rich or has a high social position used to show disapproval …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • toff — jidd.; aus hebr. ṭôv> (ugs.) gut [gekleidet] …   Das große Fremdwörterbuch

  • toff — [ taf ] noun count BRITISH INFORMAL OLD FASHIONED someone from a high social class …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • toff — (n.) lower class British slang for stylish dresser, member of the smart set, 1851, said to be probably an alteration of tuft, formerly an Oxford University term for a nobleman or gentleman commoner (1755), in reference to the gold ornamental… …   Etymology dictionary

  • toff — ► NOUN Brit. informal, derogatory ▪ a rich or upper class person. ORIGIN perhaps an alteration of TUFT(Cf. ↑tufty), used to denote a gold tassel worn on the cap by titled undergraduates at Oxford and Cambridge …   English terms dictionary

  • toff — [täf, tôf] n. [< toft, var. of TUFT, slang term for “titled undergraduate,” in reference to gold tassel on the caps of aristocratic students] [Brit. Informal] a fashionable, upper class person; esp., a dandy …   English World dictionary

  • toff — ai·toff; ham·mer ai·toff; toff; toff·ish; …   English syllables

  • Töff — Honda CBR600RR Das Motorrad (amtliche Bezeichnung in Deutschland: Kraftrad, Kurzform bei deutschen Behörden und als Selbstbezeichnung der „Kradler“: Krad) ist ein einspuriges Kraftfahrzeug oder Zweirad, üblicherweise mit einem bis zwei Sitzen. Am …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Töff — Feuerstuhl (umgangssprachlich); heißer Ofen (umgangssprachlich); Krad; Kraftrad; Bock (umgangssprachlich); Maschine (umgangssprachlich); Motorrad * * * tọff 〈Adj.〉 sehr gut, hervorragend ● du siehst ja toff aus! [<jidd. toff „gut“ <hebr.… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • toff — UK [tɒf] / US [tɑf] noun [countable] Word forms toff : singular toff plural toffs British informal old fashioned someone from a high social class …   English dictionary

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