biff

See also: BIFF

English

Etymology

Onomatopoeic.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɪf/

• Audio (Australia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪf

Noun

biff (plural biffs)

1. (informal) A sudden, sharp blow or punch.
   • 1945, C. S. Lewis, The Great Divorce:

     "Hit him a biff," said the Big Man.

2. (informal, sports) A wipeout.

Derived terms

• biffo

Verb

biff (third-person singular simple present biffs, present participle biffing, simple past and past participle biffed)

1. (informal, transitive) To punch or hit.
   • 1911, ‘Steel Rudd’, The Book of Dan, Brisbane: University of Queensland Press, published 1970, page 79:

     ‘But ’twas Fitzgerald who was goin’ to biff Malone, man, can’t you understand?’ old Tom interrupted.

2. (Atlantic Canada, New Zealand, slang, transitive) To discard; to throw out; to throw away.
3. (informal, sports) To wipe out; to faceplant; to fall.
4. (informal) To mess up.
5. (intransitive) To move quickly.

Interjection

biff

1. The sound of a person being punched or hit.
   • 1989 June 5, The Canberra Times, Australia Capital Territory, page 10, column 2:

     Whap, Biff, Ooooof, Sock, Pow, Zok! Batman is back. Gotham City is again leaving its law and order in the hands of a man who wears plastic underpants over his tights.

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bif/

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

Noun

biff m (uncountable)

1. alternative form of bif
   • 2011, “Michto”, performed by Seth Gueko:

     Faire du biff, c'est michto / Mais le biff attire les michtos

     Making moola's cool / But moola attracts gold diggers

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Old French boef, via English beef.

Noun

biff m (definite singular biffen, indefinite plural biffer, definite plural biffene)

1. a steak (slice of beef)

References

• “biff” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Old French boef, via English beef.

Noun

biff m (definite singular biffen, indefinite plural biffar, definite plural biffane)

1. a steak (slice of beef)

References

• “biff” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Swedish

en uppskuren biff [a cut-up steak] (sense 1)

pannbiff ["pan steak" – a dish] (compare Salisbury steak, which also has ground meat) (sense 2)

en biff (sense 4)

Etymology

Borrowed from English beef. First attested in 1822.

Noun

biff c

2. a steak, a beefsteak [since 1822]

   en blodig biff

   a rare [bloody] steak

   en mör biff

   a tender steak

   lövbiff

   minute steak, cube steak

   (literally, “leaf steak”)

   älgbiff

   moose steak

4. (by extension) a patty

   Forma färsen till biffar

   Shape the ground meat into patties

   grönsaksbiffar

   vegetable patties

   hamburgerbiff

   hamburger patty

   Usually just called a (ham)burgare, or colloquially a (kött)puck (“(meat) puck”).

5. steak, beefsteak (as a dish)

   Bearnaise är gott till biff

   Béarnaise goes well [is good] with steak

7. (colloquial) someone very large and muscular; a beefy guy, a beefcake, a hunk, etc.

   Wow! Vilken biff!

   Wow! What a beefy guy!

   Hans brorsa är en riktig biff

   His brother [colloquial] is really beefy / a real beefy guy [a real biff]

   Can also be expressed as "är riktigt biffig (“beefy”)."

   Kolla in den där kängurun! Vilken biff!

   Check out that kangaroo! What a hunk/stud/unit/etc.!

Usage notes

False friend of English beef. See nötkött.

Declension

Declension of biff

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	biff	biffs
	definite	biffen	biffens
plural	indefinite	biffar	biffars
	definite	biffarna	biffarnas

Derived terms

• biffig (“beefy, brawny”)
• jägarbiff
• klara biffen
• lövbiff (“minute steak, cube steak”)
• pannbiff
• saken är biff (“the matter is settled”)

See also

• BIFF-regeln
• bulle
• stek (“roast”)

References

• “biff”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “biff”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• Slangopedia