Nearby Words
noun
1.
a thick, tubular case for the hands, covered with fur or other material, used by women and girls for warmth and as a handbag.
2.
a bungled or clumsy action or performance.
3.
Sports. a failure to hold onto a ball that may reasonably be expected to be caught successfully.
4.
a tuft of feathers on the sides of the head of certain fowls.
5.
EXPANDSlang: Vulgar. a woman's pubic area.
6.
COLLAPSESee under muff glass.
verb (used with object)
7.
Informal. to bungle; handle clumsily: He muffed a good opportunity.
8.
Sports. to fail to hold onto (a ball that may reasonably be expected to be caught successfully); fumble.
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Muff
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is absquatulate. Does it mean:
| to flee; abscond: |
| to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle. |
verb (used without object)
9.
Informal. to bungle; perform clumsily.
Origin:
1590–1600; < Dutch mof, earlier moffel, muffel mitten, muff < Old North French moufle < early Medieval Latin muffula, perhaps < Frankish
1590–1600; < Dutch mof, earlier moffel, muffel mitten, muff < Old North French moufle < early Medieval Latin muffula, perhaps < Frankish
Related forms
muff·y, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
muff glass
noun
sheet glass made from a blown cylinder (muff) that is split and flattened.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To muff
Collins
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
muff
"warm covering for the hands," 1599, from Du. mof "a muff," shortened from M.Du. moffel "mitten, muff," from M.Fr. moufle "mitten," from O.Fr. moufle "thick glove," from M.L. muffula "a muff," of unknown origin. In 17c.-18c. also worn by men. Meaning "vulva and pubic hair" is from 1699; muff-diver "one
EXPANDwho performs cunnilingus" is from 1935.
muff
"to bungle," 1827, pugilism slang, related to muff (n.) "awkward person" (1837), perhaps from muff (n.) on notion of someone clumsy because his hands are in a muff.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
muff
in wearing apparel, usually cylindrical covering of fur, fabric, feathers, or other soft material, with open ends into which the hands are placed to keep them warm. Originally a purse and hand warmer in one, the muff was first introduced to women's fashion in 1570, when fur trimming was becoming popular
Learn more about muff with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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