whiff

Etymology

The noun is possibly: * partly a variant of Middle English wef, weffe (“bad smell, stench, stink; exhalation; vapour; tendency of something to go bad (?)”) [and other forms], possibly a variant of either: ** waf, waif, waife (“odour, scent”),, possibly from waven (“to move to and fro, sway, wave; to stray, wander; to move in a weaving manner; (figuratively) to hesitate, vacillate”), from Old English wafian (“to wave”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- (“to braid, weave”); or ** wef (“a blow, stroke”), from weven (“to travel, wander; to move to and fro, flutter, waver; to blow something away, waft; to cause something to move; to fall; to cut deeply; to sever; to give up, yield; to give deference to; to avoid; to afflict, trouble; to beckon, signal”); further etymology uncertain, perhaps from Old English wefan (“to weave”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- (“to braid, weave”)), or from -wǣfan (see bewǣfan, ymbwǣfan); and * partly onomatopoeic. Noun sense 6 (“name of a number of flatfish”) is possibly derived from sense 1 (“brief, gentle breeze; a light gust of air”), sense 4 (“small quantity of cloud, smoke, vapour, etc.”), and other such senses. The verb and adjective are derived from the noun. Verb sense 2.6 (“to catch fish by dragging a handline near the surface of the water from a moving boat”) is possibly derived from sense 1.1 (“to carry or convey (something) by, or as by, a whiff or puff of air”), sense 2.2 (“to be carried, or move as if carried, by a puff of air”), and other such senses. The interjection is derived from noun sense 7.4 (“a sound like that of air passing through a small opening; a short or soft whistle”).

noun

1. A brief, gentle breeze; a light gust of air; a waft.
2. A short inhalation or exhalation of breath, especially when accompanied by smoke from a cigarette or pipe.
   1. (by extension, archaic) A cigarette or small cigar.
3. An odour (usually unpleasant) carried briefly through the air.
4. A small quantity of cloud, smoke, vapour, etc.; specifically (obsolete), chiefly in take the whiff: a puff of tobacco smoke.
5. A flag used as a signal.
6. Any of a number of flatfish such as (dated) the lemon sole (Microstomus kitt) and now, especially, the megrim (Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis) and (with a descriptive word) a species of large-tooth flounder or sand flounder (family Paralichthyidae).
7. (figurative)
   1. A slight sign of something; a burst, a glimpse, a hint.
      This was a rare whiff of the big-time for a club whose staple diet became top-flight football for so long—the glamour was in short supply, however. Thousands of empty seats and the driving Yorkshire rain saw to that. 23 September 2012, Ben Smith, “Leeds United 2 – 1 Everton”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 2021-05-24
      I can tell you first-hand that we are dealing with a regime that is not being forthright and will seize upon the faintest whiff of trepidation. This is a test to see how far they can push us before we break. 14 February 2014, Kenneth Lin, “Chapter 18”, in House of Cards, season 2, episode 5, spoken by Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey)
   2. A slight attack or touch.
   3. A characteristic quality of something; a flavour, a savour, a taste.
   4. A sound like that of air passing through a small opening; a short or soft whistle.
   5. (sports">sports, chiefly US, slang) A failure to hit a ball in various sports">sports (for example, golf); a miss.
      1. (baseball) From the batter's perspective: a strike.
8. (archaic) An expulsion of explosive or shot.
9. (nautical) An outrigged boat for one person propelled by oar.
10. (obsolete) A sip of an alcoholic beverage.

verb

1. (transitive)
   1. To carry or convey (something) by, or as by, a whiff or puff">puff of air; to blow, puff">puff, or waft away.
      [Alexander von] Humboldt reached the peak at eight o'clock suffering from cold; we arrived at six, perspiring from the climb to face the same bitter, westerly wind which searched our marrow as it tore over the world. It whiffed by us steam and sulphurous vapors from the caldron, the Echeyde (Hell) of the Guanches; the La Caldera Diabla (Devil's Caldron) of the Spanish peasantry, in which all food of hell is cooked. 1918 August, Charles Wellington Furlong, “Climbing the Shoulders of Atlas”, in Harper’s Magazine, volume CXXXVII, number DCCCXIX, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers,[…], →OCLC, page 433, column 1
   2. To say (something) with an exhalation of breath.
   3. To inhale or exhale (smoke">smoke from tobacco, etc.) from a cigarette, pipe, or other smoking implement; to smoke">smoke (a cigarette, pipe, etc.); to puff.
      There was silence as they [the Shawnees] whiffed at the council pipes. Then a tall chief arose and glanced at the handful of whites and at his own three hundred along the walls of the council house. 1902, Eva Emery Dye, “Mulberry Hill”, in The Conquest: The True Story of Lewis and Clark, Chicago, Ill.: A[lexander] C[aldwell] McClurg & Company, →OCLC, book I (When Red Men Ruled), page 90
   4. To breathe in or sniff (an odour); to smell.
      He glanced once at the pines, going farther away, whiffed at the pleasant odor of the grape blooms, waved his hand to the roses, in farewell, perhaps, lifted his face to the blue heaven— […] then, wearing that same old look of his mother's, he turned, without a word, and re-entered the prison. 1891 October, Will Allen Dromgoole, “A Grain of Gold”, in B[enjamin] O[range] Flower, editor, The Arena, volume IV, number XXIII, Boston, Mass.: The Arena Publishing Co., →OCLC, pages 631–632
   5. (slang)
      1. (archaic or dated) To shoot (someone) with a firearm; hence, to assassinate or kill (someone).
         It was pointed out that troops would not always remain in the open to be whiffed out of existence by shrapnel. Rather would they get under cover at what speed they might. So a shell to deal with entrenchments, buildings, and fortifications was indicated. 1916 January, Pousse Cailloux, “75’s”, in Blackwood’s Magazine, American edition, volume CXCIX, number MCCIII, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publication Co., Barr Ferree, prop[rietor][…], →OCLC, section I, page 59, column 1
         You shot Geiger to get it. Last night in the rain. It was dandy shooting weather. The trouble is he wasn't alone when you whiffed him. Either you didn't notice that, which seems unlikely, or you got the wind up and lammed. 1939, Raymond Chandler, chapter 14, in The Big Sleep, New York, N.Y.: Vintage Crime/Black Lizard, published August 1992, page 82
      2. (US, baseball) Of a pitcher: to strike out (a batter); to fan.
   6. (obsolete) To consume (an alcoholic beverage).
2. (intransitive)
   1. To move in a way that causes a light gust of air, or a whistling sound.
   2. To be carried, or move as if carried, by a puff of air; to waft.
   3. To smoke a cigarette, pipe, or other smoking implement.
      The brawny threſher whirling faſt his flail, / Pauſes, and takes a pinch each ſheaf betwixt; / The Squire too whiffeth, o'er his mug of ale; / And eke the Parſon, o'er ſome crabbed text, / Sucketh his pipe, and ſeeth the doctrine leſs perplext. 19 September 1789, “Recovered Fragments of Spenser (Continued.)”, in I[ohann] W[ilhelm] von Archenholz, editor, The British Mercury, or Annals of History, Politics, Manners, Literature, Arts, etc. of the British Empire, volume X, number 38, Hamburg: […] B. C. Hoffman, →OCLC, stanza XXI, page 380
   4. To smell; to sniff.
   5. (slang)
      1. To give off or have an unpleasant smell; to stink.
         The second trauma was sharing a boat with all the foreigners who were beginning to whiff somewhat and had things crawling out of their beards, having spent days on end reaching the ferry on their bikes. 2007, Chris Walker, with Neil Bramwell, “Tourist Stalker”, in Stalker!: Chris Walker: The Autobiography, London: HarperSport, HarperCollinsPublishers, page 31
      2. (US, chiefly sports) Especially in baseball or golf: to completely miss hitting a ball; hence (baseball), of a batter: to strike out; to fan.
         "Casey Bat". You can't help but swing this bat with all your might. There's a good chance that you may just whiff. 1995, HAL Laboratory, EarthBound, Nintendo, Super Nintendo Entertainment System
      3. (by extension) To fail spectacularly.
         Or consider an alternative [imaginary] exhibit, in some side gallery, that sadly reflects on an enormous lost opportunity. […] This is a dark, dead end in the Biden library: A once mighty nation is served its toughest challenge yet, and it whiffs. 30 June 2021, Farhad Manjoo, “Democrats have a year to save the planet”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2021-06-30
      4. (video games) In fighting games, to execute a move that fails to hit the opponent.
   6. (fishing) To catch fish by dragging a handline near the surface of the water from a moving boat.

adj

1. (informal) Having a strong or unpleasant odour.
   Whoo boy that gear oil is pretty whiff. If you actually do this, spend the extra money for the synthetic gear oil as it will not have as bad a sulfur stink as the regular stuff. 5 November 2002, Jim Rozen, “Way oil”, in rec.crafts.metalworking (Usenet)

intj

1. Used to indicate a sound like that of air passing through a small opening, that is, a short or soft whistle.