▪ I. † nerf, n. Obs. rare.
Also nerfe, nerff.
[a. OF. nerf:—L. nerv-um: see nerve n.]
A sinew.
| c 1374 Chaucer Troylus ii. 642 His sheld..In which men mightyn meny an arwe fynd, That thrilled hath both horn, nerfe, and rynd. c 1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. 29 Þat þat is maad of þis nerf [v.r. nerff] and þis ligament is clepid a corde; þe which þat meueþ þe lymes to þe wille of þe soule. |
▪ II. nerf, v. slang (orig. U.S.).
(nɜːf)
[Origin unknown.]
intr. In drag-racing, to bump another car. Hence ˈnerf-bar, ˈnerfing-bar, a bumper fitted to a car used in drag-racing.
| 1953 Berrey & Van den Bark Amer. Thes. Slang (1954) §728/1 Nerfing, bumping another car out of the way. 1955 Hot Rod Mag. May 28 The nerf bar itself is mounted in a ‘slip tube’ that is welded permanently to the reworked bumper irons. 1960 Wentworth & Flexner Dict. Amer. Slang 352/2 The nerfing bar that supports the bumper on most cars. 1962 Punch 17 Oct. 561/1 A custom-built nerfing bar (bumper). 1969 R. E. Jennings Automotive Dict. 158/1 Nerf bar: see ‘Nerfing Bar’. Nerfing bar, small, lightweight, vertical bumpers normally used on race cars, hot rods, and custom cars. Ibid., Nerf, to bump, shove, or push a car during a racing event with another racer. Nerfing is very popular on short tracks. |