fluffy, a.
(ˈflʌfɪ)
[f. fluff n.1 + -y1.]
1. a. Consisting of or resembling fluff; of soft, downy texture.
| 1825 Jamieson, Fluffy, applied to any powdery substance that can be easily put in motion or blown away; as to ashes, hair-powder, meal &c. 1860 Thackeray Lovel ii, A great hulking Bluecoat boy, with fluffy whiskers. 1863 M. E. Braddon Eleanor's Vict. I. v. 106 The fluffy worsted curtains were drawn. 1887 R. N. Carey Uncle Max xiii. 103 [She] buried her face in a very fluffy little muff. |
b. Of timber: (see quot.).
| 1888 Lockwood's Dict. Mech. Engin., Timber is said to be fluffy when the sawdust is stringy, and moist and greasy instead of granular and sharp. |
c. fig., often with reference to personal character or intellect.
| 1898 Westm. Gaz. 16 Apr. 1/3 Celia is strong-minded. You would not think so to look at her: she is what I call a fluffy girl. 1904 E. F. Benson Challoners xiv, Begin instantly without playing any fluffy arpeggios. 1927 A. P. Herbert Plain Jane 10, I like them fluffy,..With downy soft eyebrows and artful blue eyes,..With fluffy complexions, like plums on a wall, And fluffy opinions, and no brains at all. 1964 Punch 23 Dec. 967/3 His fluffy wife prepared to help him by seducing the boss. |
2. Of persons: Covered with fluff. Of plants and animals: Covered with down, soft hairs, feathers, or fur; downy.
| 1848 Dickens Dombey lix, Fluffy and snuffy strangers. 1856 F. E. Paget Owlet Owlst., 110, That dreary-looking man, with a fluffy effect about his head, as though it were sprinkled with the contents of a pillow. 1862 H. Marryat Year in Sweden I. 75 The road-side bright with the fluffy blue anemone. 1863 F. A. Kemble Resid. in Georgia 259 These poor little fluffy things [rabbits]. 1879 Hesba Stretton Needle's Eye I. 145 The fluffy yellow chickens. |
3. slang. a. Drunk and incapable (see quot. 1886 s.v. fluffiness). b. Theatr. Liable to forget one's ‘lines’.
| 1885 Referee 26 July 3/2 One or two others were..what actors call fluffy in their lines. 1893 Pall Mall G. 17 Jan. 7/2 After the chorus is perfect, the principals are ‘fluffy’, especially when the principals are fashionable amateurs. |
4. quasi-n. A fluffy animal.
| 1889 Daily News 23 Oct. 7/1 Strictly smooth haired creatures are at a disadvantage among the fluffies. |
5. Comb.: fluffy-brained, fluffy-minded adjs.
| 1905 Author 1 Feb. 150 Has he thrown you over for her, the *fluffy-brained thing? |
| 1902 Westm. Gaz. 23 Oct. 3/1 A *fluffy-minded woman. 1935 Wodehouse Blandings Castle i. 12 The ninth Earl of Emsworth was a fluffy-minded and amiable old gentleman with a fondness for new toys. |
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▸ fluffy dice n. a pair of large imitation dice made from fluffy, fur-like material, designed to be hung inside a vehicle's windscreen (esp. from the rear-view mirror) or rear window, and sometimes comsidered emblematic of poor taste; also occas. with sing. concord; cf. furry dice n. at furry adj. and n.1 Additions, fuzzy dice n. at fuzzy adj. Additions.
| 1957 Hammond (Indiana) Times 6 Oct. b1/2 A pair of *fluffy dice may be decorative, but hanging from a car windshield they can be dangerous as well. 1994 M. Gee Crime Story (1996) iii. 50 He got in close behind one and saw a fluffy dice suspended in the rear window, and a fisted hand with a smoke in it, burning above kissing heads. 2004 Sunday Times (Nexis) 11 July (Driving section) 11 Fluffy dice dangling from the rear-view mirror are commonly considered the last word in naff. |