pouff

pouff
   a male homosexual
   Not from the English dialect meaning 'a big stupid person' {EDD) but probably from the exclamation, implying a lack of substance or value. Also as pooftah:
    Don't tie the tapes under your chin... or they'll think you're a pouff. (D. Francis, 1978)
    If Prince Charles shows no interest, he must be a pooftah. (A. Waugh in Private Eye, July 1980)
   As the novelist pointed out, the use of these derogatory terms obliges us to use circumlocution when we describe a round footstool:
    ... sitting animatedly forward on what used to be called a pouf or pouffe but obviously couldn't be these days. (Amis, 1978)

How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms. . 2014.

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  • pouff —    ‘You pampered pouff’ is said by one man to another in Daniel, by David Thomson. It causes the man so addressed to hit the speaker and become involved in a fight with him. He later discusses the incident with a friend.’ ‘You’re a pouff,” she… …   A dictionary of epithets and terms of address

  • pouff — noun see pouf * * * pouff or pouffe «poof», noun. Especially British. pouf. * * * pouff, pouffe obs. forms of puff n. and v …   Useful english dictionary

  • pouff — Pouf Pouf, Pouffe Pouffe(p[=oo]f), n. [Written also {pouff}.] [F. pouf. Cf. {Puff}, n.] Lit., a puff; specif.: (a) A soft cushion, esp. one circular in shape and not, like a pillow, of bag form, or thin at the edges. (b) A piece of furniture like …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • pouff — n an alternative spelling of poof …   Contemporary slang

  • pouf — 1. pouf [ puf ] interj. et n. m. • 1458; onomatopée I ♦ Interj. Exclamation exprimant un bruit sourd de chute. Et pouf ! le voilà par terre. Loc. (lang. enfantin) Faire pouf : tomber. II ♦ (Évoquant l enflure; cf. bouffer, bouffi.) N. m. 1 ♦… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • poof — (poove, pouff, puff) n a male homosexual. The most common slang term in Britain and Australia. The variations of the word go in and out of fashion. Poof and poove were popular in the 1960s, poofter in the 1970s. The origin of the epithet is… …   Contemporary slang

  • poofter — (poove, pouff, puff) n a male homosexual. The most common slang term in Britain and Australia. The variations of the word go in and out of fashion. Poof and poove were popular in the 1960s, poofter in the 1970s. The origin of the epithet is… …   Contemporary slang

  • pooftah — (poove, pouff, puff) n a male homosexual. The most common slang term in Britain and Australia. The variations of the word go in and out of fashion. Poof and poove were popular in the 1960s, poofter in the 1970s. The origin of the epithet is… …   Contemporary slang

  • poof —    ‘You pampered pouff’ is said by one man to another in Daniel, by David Thomson. It causes the man so addressed to hit the speaker and become involved in a fight with him. He later discusses the incident with a friend.’ ‘You’re a pouff,” she… …   A dictionary of epithets and terms of address

  • poofter —    ‘You pampered pouff’ is said by one man to another in Daniel, by David Thomson. It causes the man so addressed to hit the speaker and become involved in a fight with him. He later discusses the incident with a friend.’ ‘You’re a pouff,” she… …   A dictionary of epithets and terms of address

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