squiffy

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English

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Etymology

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Unknown; possibly coined in the 19th century.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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squiffy (comparative squiffier, superlative squiffiest)

  1. (UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, 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.
    • 2022, Kate Atkinson, Shrines of Gaiety:
      His champagne glass was constantly refilled by the man who might or might not have been a butler, so that by the time they actually sat down to play, Ramsay was decidedly squiffy.
  2. (UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, 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, Angus Stevenson, editors, The Oxford Dictionary of English (revised edition), Oxford University Press:
      The graphics make your eyes go squiffy.

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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References

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  • 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.