Dictionary

naff en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /næf/
• (Australia) audio

Etymology

Perhaps from Polari, 1960s. Further etymology unknown; perhaps a conscious corruption of either fanny or eff (off) (see naff off).

Meanings

1. (Commonwealth, Ireland, Polari, UK, colloquial) Bad; tasteless, poorly thought out, not workable; tacky.
   • Did you see Elon Musk apologise for some tweets this week? (Please don’t be naff and call them “X posts”.) 2025 June 13, Marina Hyde, “So social media has broken even Elon Musk. I’m forced to ask: U OK hun?”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
   • A mere seven years after her tragic death, isn’t it grim and tasteless to send her hologram off on some naff tour? 2019 February 24, Barbara Ellen, “Amy Winehouse could belt out a tune – her naff hologram can’t”, in The Guardian:
   • I mean ten years ago a bit of charlie was for pop stars or a celebrities birthday bash. It was demonized by Daily Mail Readers getting drunk in naff wine bars. 2004, J. J. Connolly, Layer Cake, spoken by XXXX (Daniel Craig):
   • She was an ordinary woman in her dress style; she didn't wear a leather bodice or naff over-knee plastic spiky-heeled boots. 1998, Robert Llewellyn, The Man on Platform Five, London: Hodder & Stoughton, →ISBN, page 291:
   • That tie is a bit naff, don’t you think?
   • Remember, “tacky” means “cheap or glitzy”, whereas “naff” is about stylistic shortcomings which are horrifyingly average and pathetically ordinary. The Jersey Shore is tacky, but The Bachelor is naff. 2012, Simon Doonan, Gay men don't get fat, New York: Blue Rider Press, →ISBN, page 206:
   • Note that last phrase: what actually emerged was a virtual-reality platform called Horizon Worlds, accessible only via naff and clunky Oculus headsets (think an uncomfortable version of Zoom) […] 2023 May 13, John Naughton, “A moment’s silence, please, for the death of Mark Zuckerberg’s metaverse”, in The Observer, →ISSN:
2. (Polari) Heterosexual.
   • The omie was a veritable donkey beneath the waistband, darlings. A donkey! No wonder your boss-palone is so smitten. I've seen my share, dollies, but this old omiepalone was shaken to the core. Such a terrible waste on a naff bloke. 2004, Pip Granger, Trouble In Paradise:

Forms

Deriveds

naff all · naffly · naffness · naff off

Relateds

niff-naff

Translations (9)

pl tandetny (in poor taste, not workable) · hu gáz (in poor taste, not workable) · nl smakeloos (in poor taste, not workable) · ru по́шлый (in poor taste, not workable) · hu ciki (in poor taste, not workable) · ru отстойный (in poor taste, not workable) · pl obciachowy (in poor taste, not workable) · hu cikis (in poor taste, not workable) · pl szajsowaty (in poor taste, not workable)