▪ I. † tiff, n.1 Obs. rare—1.
[f. tiff v.1]
Manner of dressing or arranging, get-up; the way in which the hair, wig, etc. is dressed.
| 1703 The Levellers in Harl. Misc. (1745) V. 419/2 Did you mark the beau Tiff of his Wig, what a deal of Pains he took to toss it back? |
▪ II. tiff, n.2 colloq. or slang. ? Obs.
(tɪf)
Also 9 Sc. tift.
[Origin obscure; perh. onomatopœic; cf. tiff v.2, tift v.2]
1. Liquor, esp. poor, weak, or ‘small’ liquor, ‘tipple’.
| a 1635 Corbet Poems, On J. Dawson, So let your channels flow with single tiff, For John I hope is crown'd. 1661 A. Brome Answ. Univ. Friend Poems 165 Your next is money, which I promise, Full fifty pounds alas the summe is, That too shall quickly follow, if It can be rais'd from Strong or Tiffe. 1703 J. Philips Splendid Shilling 15 With scanty offals and small acid tiff (Wretched repast!). 1736 Ainsworth Lat. Dict. ii, Vappa,..palled wine that hath lost its strength, dead drink, poor tiff. 1823 Scott Quentin D. Introd., Drinking acid tiff, as above mentioned. |
2. A sip or little drink of punch or other diluted liquor. Cf. whiff.
| 1727 Bailey vol. II, Tiff, a small Quantity of potable Liquor, as a Tiff of Punch, etc. 1752 Fielding Amelia viii. x, What say you to..a tiff of punch by way of whet? 1804 Stagg Misc. Poems (1807) 3 (E.D.D.) Monnie a tift o' yell. 1815 Scott Guy M. xi, Sipping his tiff of brandy punch with great solemnity. 1819 Sporting Mag. IV. 272 The gentleman can't take a tiff of beer in a morning. 1820 Blackw. Mag. VIII. 98 We shall take a tiff of Campbell and Somerville's best black strap. |
▪ III. tiff, n.3 colloq.
(tɪf)
[Origin obscure; prob. onomatopœic, from the sound of a slight puff of air or gas.]
1. A slight outburst or fit of temper, pettishness, or ill-humour. Now rare or merged in 2.
| 1727 Bailey vol. II, Tiff,..also a small Fit of Anger, etc. 1729 Mrs. Delany in Life & Corr. (1861) I. 230 That common compassion (says he in a tiff) would give me but little satisfaction. 1739 ‘R. Bull’ tr. Dedekindus' Grobianus 102 Returning homewards in a furious Tiff. a 1825 Forby Voc. E. Anglia, Tiff, a pet; slight anger. ‘She was in a tiff’. 1871 Carlyle in Mrs. C.'s Lett. (1883) II. 164 Abrupt Captain Anthony being in some tiff of his own. |
2. A slight or petty quarrel; a temporary ill-humoured disagreement; a ‘breeze’; sometimes applied to a more serious quarrel.
| 1754 Richardson Grandison (1781) IV. xxxviii. 268 My Lord and I have had another little Tiff, shall I call it? it came not up to a quarrel. 1755 Kidgell Card II. 150 Your dear Letter fell into Mamma's Hands, and..Madam thought herself entitled to open it.—So, my Dear, we had a violent Tiff upon it. 1868 L. M. Alcott Little Women ix, More friendly than ever after their small tiff. 1888 Bryce Amer. Commw. I. xi. 145 ‘Little tiffs’ are frequent when the senatorial majority is in opposition to the executive. |
3. A short outburst (of laughter, etc.). rare.
| 1858 Carlyle Fredk. Gt. vii. i. II. 149 Wilhelmina..answered..him with tiffs of laughter, in a prettily fleering manner. |
▪ IV. † tiff, v.1 Obs.
[a. OF. tifer, tiffer to adorn (12th c. in Godef.), mod.F. attifer: see atiffe.]
1. trans. To attire, dress, deck out, trick out, ‘tittivate’ (one's person, hair, etc.). (In 18th c. like F. attifer, usually familiar.)
| a 1225 [see tiffing vbl. n.]. 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 3201 Ȝyf þou tyfyst þe ouer proudly. 13.. K. Alis. 4109 Theo maydenes lokyn in the glas, For to tyffen [Laud MS. atyffen] heore fas. c 1350 Will. Palerne 3183 Knew þow nouȝt..þat i was tiffed in a-tir when i wend fro þe. 1382 [see tiffle 1]. 1729 Mrs. Delany in Life & Corr. (1861) I. 225, I am sorry your ladies should tiff anything but their hair. 1768 Tucker Lt. Nat. (1834) I. 40 Her desire of tiffing out her mistress in a killing attire. |
b. absol. or intr.
| 1700 Congreve Way of World ii. iv, Poor Mincing tift and tift all the morning. 1741 Mrs. Montagu Lett. (1906) I. 65 While Deb is tiffing and tiffing till my hair is so pure and so crisp. |
2. trans. a. To put in order, arrange. b. To prepare, make, construct.
| 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1129, & þay busken vp bilyue, blonkkez to sadel, Tyffen her takles, trussen her males. a 1400–50 Alexander 4465 Sum [idols] ere tiffid all of tree, and sum of tyn pured. |
3. intr. To be idly employed, be busy about trifles.
| c 1440 Promp. Parv. 493/2 Tyffyn, werke ydylly, idem quod tymeryn. |
Hence † tiffed ppl. a., tricked out, adorned (in quot. fig.): see also tift ppl. a.
| 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 11763 Yn tyfed [v.r. tyffede] wurdys þat slyked are, Semeþ þy synnes þat þey noȝt were. |
▪ V. tiff, v.2 colloq. or slang. ? Obs.
[f. tiff n.2 Cf. tift v.2]
trans. To drink; esp. to drink slowly or in small portions, to sip.
| 1769 Trinculo's Trip 25, I was tiffing a stout cann of flip. 1809–11 Combe Syntax v. 140 He tiff'd his punch, and went to rest. |
▪ VI. tiff, v.3
[f. tiff n.3]
intr. To be in a tiff or pet; to have a tiff, or petty quarrel.
| 1727 Bailey vol. II, To Tiff, to be angry, peevish, fretful, or displeased at. 1859 F. Francis Newton Dogvane (1888) 59 The Captain was late, and Miss Bowers tiffed. |
▪ VII. tiff, v.4 Anglo-Ind.
[app. abbreviation of or back-formation from tiff-ing, tiffin.]
intr. = tiffin v., to lunch.
| 1803 Elphinstone in Colebrooke Life (1884) I. v. 116 We were interrupted by a summons to tiff. at Floyer's. After tiffin Close said he should be glad to go. 1816 ‘Quiz’ Grand Master viii. 230 The huntsman now inform'd them all, They were to tiff at Bobb'ry Hall. 1825 T. Hook Sayings Ser. ii. Passion & Princ. iii, ‘I'm afraid you won't like our tiffin, Walford’... ‘I have tiffed’, said Walford. 1859 Lang Wand. India 16, I will tiff with you to-day at half-past two. |