English · Slang Historical

duff

Preserved but no longer current.

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To cheat, to sell spurious goods, often under pretence of their being stolen or smuggled.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Lừa đảo, bán hàng giả

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)

Where it’s used: Origin British & Irish English

Sources & notes

Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.

Topics: Historical slang (1800s)

Common questions

What does “duff” mean?

To cheat, to sell spurious goods, often under pretence of their being stolen or smuggled.

Is “duff” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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