- whiff
- Americanto killPerhaps obsolete, from the slang meaning, to hit out at:He wasn't alone when you whiffed him. (Chandler, 1939)
How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms. R. W. Holder. 2014.
whiff
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whiff´er — whiff «hwihf», noun, verb. –n. 1. a slight gust; puff; breath: »A whiff of fresh air cleared his head. Not a whiff of life left in either of the bodies (Thomas Hardy). 2. a blow. 3. a slight smell; puff of air having an odor: »a whiff of garlic.… … Useful english dictionary
whiff — [wıf] n [Date: 1500 1600; Origin: From the sound of a light movement of air carrying a smell] 1.) a very slight smell of something whiff of ▪ a whiff of tobacco get/catch a whiff of sth ▪ As she walked past, I caught a whiff of her perfume. 2.) a … Dictionary of contemporary English
Whiff — Whiff, n. [OE. weffe vapor, whiff, probably of imitative origin; cf. Dan. vift a puff, gust, W. chwiff a whiff, puff.] [1913 Webster] 1. A sudden expulsion of air from the mouth; a quick puff or slight gust, as of air or smoke. [1913 Webster] But … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Whiff — Whiff, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Whiffed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Whiffing}.] [1913 Webster] 1. To throw out in whiffs; to consume in whiffs; to puff. [1913 Webster] 2. To carry or convey by a whiff, or as by a whiff; to puff or blow away. [1913 Webster]… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
whiff — [ wıf, hwıf ] noun singular 1. ) a slight smell of something: Opening the door, she caught a whiff of cigarette smoke. 2. ) MAINLY LITERARY a slight amount or sign of something: a whiff of danger … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
Whiff — Whiff, v. i. To emit whiffs, as of smoke; to puff. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
whiff — [hwif, wif] n. [echoic] 1. a light puff or gust of air or wind; breath 2. a slight wave or gust of odor; faint momentary smell [a whiff of garlic] 3. an inhaling or exhaling, as of tobacco smoke ☆ 4. Informal a complete miss when attempting to… … English World dictionary
whiff — 13c., weffe foul scent or odor, of imitative origin. Modern form became popular late 16c. with tobacco smoking, probably influenced by whiffle blow in gusts or puffs (1560s). The verb in the baseball slang sense to swing at a ball and miss first… … Etymology dictionary
whiff — [n] smell of an odor aroma, blast, breath, dash, draught, flatus, fume, gust, hint, inhalation, odor, puff, scent, shade, smack, sniff, snuff, soupçon, trace, trifle, waft; concepts 599,601,602 … New thesaurus
whiff — ► NOUN 1) a smell that is smelt only briefly or faintly. 2) Brit. informal an unpleasant smell. 3) a trace or hint of something bad or exciting. 4) a puff or breath of air or smoke. ► VERB 1) get a brief or faint smell of. 2) … English terms dictionary
whiff — noun ADJECTIVE ▪ faint, slight ▪ strong ▪ unmistakable (often figurative) ▪ The unmistakable whiff of electoral blackmail could be detected. ▪ … Collocations dictionary
