squiffy

squiffy

English

Etymology

Unknown; possibly coined in the 19th century.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈskwɪf.i/

  Rhymes: -ɪfi

Adjective

squiffy (comparative squiffier, superlative squiffiest)

1. (Britain, informal) slightly drunk or intoxicated; tipsy
   • 1992, J. B. Priestley, An Inspector Calls, Heinemann, →ISBN, page 51,

     In the Palace bar. I'd been there an hour or so with two or three other chaps. I was a bit squiffy.

2. (Britain, informal) Crooked, askew; awry
   • 2004, Jude Rawlins, Cul De Sac: Lyrics, Prose & Poems 1987-2004, Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 11,

     To this day I cannot and will not wear a tie properly. On the one or two occasions I have worn them since I left school, I've worn them squiffy, on purpose.

   • 2005, Catherine Soanes and Angus Stevenson (eds.), The Oxford Dictionary of English (revised edition), Oxford University Press,

     The graphics make your eyes go squiffy.

Synonyms

• (tipsy): buzzed, merry, muzzy, squiffed; see also Thesaurus:drunk
• (crooked): cattywampus, cockeyed, skew-whiff; see also Thesaurus:askew

Translations

slightly intoxicated

French: pompette (fr) Italian: alticcio, brillo (it)

Spanish: achispado (es), piripí

References

• 1998, The Dorling Kindersley Illustrated Oxford Dictionary, Dorling Kindersley Limited and Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 807
• 1994, Rosalind Fergusson, Eric Partridge, Shorter Slang Dictionary, →ISBN, page 203.