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Eric Partridge, A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, Fifth Edition (1961), says that the term originated (with the meaning "slightly drunk" circa 1873, and that by 1880 it had expanded to include the meaning "drunk in any degree."
The earliest known use of the adjective squiffy is in the 1850s. OED's earliest evidence for squiffy is from around 1855, in the writing of Elizabeth Gaskell, novelist and short-story writer. An arbitrary formation. See etymology.
The earliest known use of the adjective squiffed is in the 1880s. OED's earliest evidence for squiffed is from before 1890. squiffed is a variant or alteration of another lexical item.
Word History. Etymology. origin unknown. First Known Use. circa 1855, in the meaning defined above. Time Traveler. The first known use of squiffy was circa 1855. See more words from the same year.
Word origin. [1870–75; orig. uncert.] This word is first recorded in the period 1870–75. Other words that entered English at around the same time include: fifth wheel, giveaway, immobilize, linkage, washout.
28 wrz 2024 · Etymology. [edit] Unknown; possibly coined in the 19th century. Pronunciation. [edit] (UK) IPA (key): /ˈskwɪf.i/ Audio (Southern England): Rhymes: -ɪfi. Adjective. [edit] squiffy (comparative squiffier, superlative squiffiest) (UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, informal) slightly drunk or intoxicated; tipsy.
squiffed (English) Origin & history. Variant of squiffy. Pronunciation. IPA: /ˈskwɪft/. Rhymes: -ɪft. Adjective. squiffed (not comparable) (informal) intoxicated.
