jiff

English

Alternative forms

• jif

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d͡ʒɪf/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Homophone: gif
• Rhymes: -ɪf

Etymology 1

Clipping of jiffy.

Noun

jiff (plural jiffs)

1. (informal) A jiffy; a moment; a short time.

   Synonyms: instant, mo, sec, tick; see also Thesaurus:moment

   • 1918 [1915], Thomas Burke, Nights in London‎^[1], New York: Henry Holt and Company:

     Oh, yerss. Come in. Half a jiff till I finished this bottom stair. Now then—whoa!—don't touch that banister; it's a bit loose.

   • 1980, Robert Barr, The Do-It-Yourself Job (episode of Detective, BBC radio drama; around 19 min)

     You can keep Max company while I nip out for a jiff.

   • 2009, David Jerome, Roastbeef's Promise, page 42:

     A lady's voice answered, “Be out in a jiff.”

Translations

a moment; a short time

• Bulgarian: миг (bg) m (mig), момент (bg) m (moment)
• Czech: okamžik (cs) m, chvilka (cs) f, vteřinka f
• Russian: миг (ru) m (mig), мгнове́ние (ru) n (mgnovénije)

Etymology 2

Verb

jiff (third-person singular simple present jiffs, present participle jiffing, simple past and past participle jiffed)

1. (slang) to deceive, swindle, trick

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:deceive

Anagrams

• JFIF

Somali

Verb

jiff

1. to lie (on bed, etc)