Toff
Encyclopedia
In British English
slang
, a toff is a mildly derogatory term for someone with an aristocratic background or belonging to the landed gentry
, particularly someone who exudes an air of superiority. For instance, The Toff
, a character from the series of adventure novels by John Creasey
is an upper-class crime sleuth, who uses a common caricature of a toff - a line drawing with a top hat, monocle, bow-tie and cigarette with a holder - as his calling card.
worn by titled undergraduates at Oxford University or Cambridge University. The Anglo-Saxon word "toforan" has a meaning of "superiority". It is possible the derivation of "toff" is earlier than is generally supposed.
Other origins include the abbreviation of "toffee-nosed" This originates from the 19th century, where it was common for men of a higher class to use snuff
. The use of snuff often caused the men's nose to leak a toffee-like nasal mucus. The men are thought to have tilted their heads slightly upwards to counteract this and from this action people would say "stuck up".
British English
British English, or English , is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere...
slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
, a toff is a mildly derogatory term for someone with an aristocratic background or belonging to the landed gentry
Landed gentry
Landed gentry is a traditional British social class, consisting of land owners who could live entirely off rental income. Often they worked only in an administrative capacity looking after the management of their own lands....
, particularly someone who exudes an air of superiority. For instance, The Toff
The Toff
In the series of adventure novels by John Creasey, the Toff is the nickname of the Honourable Richard Rollison, an upper-class crime sleuth. Creasey published almost 60 Toff adventures, beginning with Introducing the Toff in 1938 and continuing through The Toff and the Crooked Copper, published in...
, a character from the series of adventure novels by John Creasey
John Creasey
John Creasey MBE was an English crime and science fiction writer. The author of more than 600 novels, he published them using 28 different pseudonyms, including Anthony Morton, Michael Halliday, Kyle Hunt, J.J. Marric, Jeremy York, Richard Martin, Peter Manton, Norman Deane, Gordon Ashe, Henry St...
is an upper-class crime sleuth, who uses a common caricature of a toff - a line drawing with a top hat, monocle, bow-tie and cigarette with a holder - as his calling card.
Etymology
The word "toff" is thought to come from the word "tuft", which was a gold tasselTassel
A tassel is a finishing feature in fabric decoration. It is a universal ornament that is seen in varying versions in many cultures around the globe.-Etymology:...
worn by titled undergraduates at Oxford University or Cambridge University. The Anglo-Saxon word "toforan" has a meaning of "superiority". It is possible the derivation of "toff" is earlier than is generally supposed.
Other origins include the abbreviation of "toffee-nosed" This originates from the 19th century, where it was common for men of a higher class to use snuff
Snuff
Snuff is a product made from ground or pulverised tobacco leaves. It is an example of smokeless tobacco. It originated in the Americas and was in common use in Europe by the 17th century...
. The use of snuff often caused the men's nose to leak a toffee-like nasal mucus. The men are thought to have tilted their heads slightly upwards to counteract this and from this action people would say "stuck up".