Dictionary

squiffy en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈskwɪf.i/ (UK)

Etymology

Unknown; possibly coined in the 19th century.

Meanings

1. (Commonwealth, Ireland, UK, informal) slightly drunk or intoxicated; tipsy
   • In the Palace bar. I'd been there an hour or so with two or three other chaps. I was a bit squiffy. 1992, J. B. Priestley, An Inspector Calls, Heinemann, →ISBN, page 51:
   • 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. 2022, Kate Atkinson, Shrines of Gaiety:
2. (Commonwealth, Ireland, UK, informal) Crooked, askew; awry
   • The graphics make your eyes go squiffy. 2005, Catherine Soanes, Angus Stevenson, editors, The Oxford Dictionary of English (revised edition), Oxford University Press:
   • 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. 2004, Jude Rawlins, Cul De Sac: Lyrics, Prose & Poems 1987-2004, Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 11:

Forms

Deriveds

squiffiness · squiffily

Synonyms

skew-whiff · squiffed · cockeyed · buzzed (tipsy) · merry · muzzy · cattywampus (crooked)

Translations (10)

nb pussa (slightly intoxicated) · it brillo (slightly intoxicated) · it alticcio (slightly intoxicated) · nb småfull (slightly intoxicated) · es piripí (slightly intoxicated) · bg леко пийнал (slightly intoxicated) · nb bedugget (slightly intoxicated) · nb brisen (slightly intoxicated) · fr pompette (slightly intoxicated) · es achispado (slightly intoxicated)