naff
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See also: Naff
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Perhaps from Polari, 1960s.[1] Further etymology unknown; perhaps a conscious corruption of either fanny or eff (off) (see naff off).
Pronunciation[edit]
Adjective[edit]
naff (comparative naffer, superlative naffest)
- (British, Ireland, colloquial, Polari) Bad; tasteless, poorly thought out, not workable.
- That tie is a bit naff, don’t you think?
- 2004, J. J. Connolly, Layer Cake, spoken by XXXX (Daniel Craig):
- I mean ten years ago a bit of charlie was for pop stars or a celebrities birthday bash. It was demonized by Daily Mail Readers getting drunk in naff wine bars.
- 2019 February 24, Barbara Ellen, “Amy Winehouse could belt out a tune – her naff hologram can’t”, in The Guardian[1]:
- A mere seven years after her tragic death, isn’t it grim and tasteless to send her hologram off on some naff tour?
- 2023 May 13, John Naughton, “A moment’s silence, please, for the death of Mark Zuckerberg’s metaverse”, in The Observer[2], →ISSN:
- Note that last phrase: what actually emerged was a virtual-reality platform called Horizon Worlds, accessible only via naff and clunky Oculus headsets (think an uncomfortable version of Zoom) […]
- (Polari) Heterosexual.
- 2004, Pip Granger, Trouble In Paradise:
- The omie was a veritable donkey beneath the waistband, darlings. A donkey! No wonder your boss-palone is so smitten. I've seen my share, dollies, but this old omiepalone was shaken to the core. Such a terrible waste on a naff bloke.
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
in poor taste, not workable
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “naff”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
Further reading[edit]
- “naff”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
- “naff”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
- Jonathon Green (2024) “naff adj.1”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang
- Jonathon Green (2024) “naff adj.2”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang
- “naff”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
Anagrams[edit]
Middle English[edit]
Noun[edit]
naff
- (Northern) Alternative form of nave
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