Re: niff naff, niffnaff, niff-naff
John (a.k.a. trolley), This seems to be a strictly British expression:
MERRIAM WEBSTER’S UNABRIDGED DICTIONARYNIFF-NAFF intransitive verb (
British dialect): triffle
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A DICTIONARY OF SLANG AND UNCONVENTIONAL ENGLISH by Eric Partridge[/i][/b]
NIFF-NAFF: Especially in Don’t
niff-naff, ‘stop fussing and get cracking . . .’ Royal Air Force since circa 1930. A variation reduplication of
niff, which seem to combine
niggle and
fuss.
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OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARYNIFF-NAFF (
intransitive verb) [1728]: Chiefly
Scottish and England regional (
northern), and Irish English (
northern)
To trifle, mess around; to act aimlessly or foolishly. [Origin uncertain; perhaps a reduplicated formation from
niff- from
niffle, a variant of
nifle, noun [[meaning a trifle; a thing of little or no value.] with the same vowel variation as
zig-zag, shilly-shally, etc., expressing see-saw action]]
Quote:
<1728 “Oh my dear Lassie, it is but Daffin To had thy Woer up ay niff naffin.”—There’s my Thumb by A. Ramsay, iii. in Poems, II. page 124>
<1815 “Some toil'd for meal, an' some for maut, While some were just niff-naffin'.”—Poems by J. Ruickbie, page 97>
<1894 “He niffnaffed on at the job.”—Northumberland Words at Niffnaff by R. O. Heslop>
<1945 “Niff-naff, don't, stop fussing and get cracking.”—Royal Air Force Slang made Easy by C.H. Ward-Jackson, page 435>
<1953 Niff-naff, . .. to trifle; to potter about; to act foolishly or aimlessly. Nyiff-nyaffin' about the house.”—English Dialect of Donegal, page 197>
[1808] From the verb: A small person or thing; a trifle, a knick-knack. In later use also as a mass noun: junk, clutter; petty concerns or detail. [[John. Looks like those porcelain swans and ceramic cats on the glass shelf in your Mum’s house
can be called
niff naffs.]]
Quote:
<1808 Niffnaffs, articles that are small and of little value.”—Etymological Dictionary of Scottish Language by J. Jamieson>
<1896 Niffnaffs, nick-nacks.”—Words & Phrases Hetton-le-Hole County Durham by F. M. T. Palsgrave>
<1929 “His wife showed him . . . a fine ivory fan... ‘He's aye sendin' niff-naffs like that to Leeb.’”—Scots Magazine, 13 October>
<1953 Niff-naff, . . . a trifling thing or matter.”—English Dialect of Donegal by M. Traynor, page 197/1>
<1989 “It's got a general secretary, Mike Farrell, who looks after the niff naff.”—Athletics Today, 26 October, page 27/1>
<2000 “If you can bear to chuck out—or store if you must—the niff-naff of your previous lifestyle, you can indulge in the current passion for the pared-down look.”—Western Daily Press (Bristol, England), 30 December>
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Ken – July 28, 2010
