Talk:scoff
I don't want to presume to edit (ahem!) but would suggest that the verb form include 'to eat', common slang at least to my (boomer) cohort. Also found in Melville (White Jacket) wherein a black Man-o-War's cook is quoted thus, “Quick, men, quick, bear a hand and 'scoff' (eat) away -- I've got my to-morrow's duff to make yet, and some of you fellows keep scoffing as if I had nothing to do but...″ — This unsigned comment was added by 220.253.175.229 (talk) at 12:08, 5 February 2011.
- Yes, we have it. See under the second etymology. SemperBlotto 12:09, 5 February 2011 (UTC)
Ah, so that's what that scroll button is for. Sheeeit! — This unsigned comment was added by 220.253.175.229 (talk) at 12:13, 5 February 2011.
I always assumed that to scoff in the eating sense could be related to Auguste Escoffier, the famous French chef. Is there any connection? 164.11.203.58 16:05, 8 March 2012 (UTC)
- Unlikely in general (as the connection between an English, specifically South African and British, slang expression for "to eat (quickly)" and "food" and the vaguely reminiscent name of a French chef is quite tenuous), and especially if it's from Afrikaans (as the article plausibly suggests), because then the source is most likely schuif "to shove (sc. into the mouth)". --Florian Blaschke (talk) 13:20, 12 November 2016 (UTC)
{1. expression - 2. object} of scorn[edit]
What other nouns behave like this one regarding being both an instance or the object of a verb? --Backinstadiums (talk) 16:43, 14 January 2020 (UTC)