jiff en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
- /d͡ʒɪf/
Etymology
Clipping of jiffy.
Meanings
-
(informal) A jiffy; a moment; a short time.
You can keep Max company while I nip out for a jiff.
1980, Robert Barr, “The Do-It-Yourself Job” (19:00 min), in Detective, BBC radio drama:A lady's voice answered, “Be out in a jiff.”
2009, David Jerome, Roastbeef's Promise, page 42:Oh, yerss. Come in. Half a jiff till I finished this bottom stair. Now then—whoa!—don't touch that banister; it's a bit loose.
1918 [1915], Thomas Burke, Nights in London, New York: Henry Holt and Company:Tell my man, “The usual, plus a shot for the kid” / He did his bartender thizzle, got my order in a jif
2002, People Under the Stairs, “The Suite For Beaver Part 2”, in O.S.T.:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| jiffs | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| jif | alternative | lexicographic |
Synonyms
bat of an eye · flash · moment · jiff · spurt · mo · while · bit · tick · twinkle · jot · twink · New York minute · crack · tick · instant · half a mo · stound · jiffy · New York second · mo · span · eyeblink · twinkling · instant · sec · sec · blink of an eye · split-second · minute · glimpse · no time · trice · second
Translations (8)
bg момент (a moment; a short time) · cs vteřinka (a moment; a short time) · bg миг (a moment; a short time) · ru миг (a moment; a short time) · ru мгнове́ние (a moment; a short time) · cs chvilka (a moment; a short time) · es santiamén (a moment; a short time) · cs okamžik (a moment; a short time)