Re: Prince Charles gives Camilla two sheep for her birthday

On Sun, 22 Jul 2007 16:08:39 +0200, trio@xxxxxxxxxx (Donna
Richoux) wrote:

Robert Bannister <robban1@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Robin Bignall wrote:

[re: OED: chuffed ... b. Displeased, disgruntled. ... 1964 C.
Dale Other People viii. 158 Don't let on they're after you, see, or
she'll be dead chuffed, see? She don' like the law.]

I think that either the C Dale person misused the word 'chuffed', or
there's a lot of context missing. The 'she' referred to, who didn't
like the law, would be chuffed if she actively disliked the person
being chased by the police, for example.


Without more context, I find it hard to know exactly what is meant.

True, but in this case the context is, 'The OED editors think this is an
example of "chuffed" meaning "displeased, disgruntled," evem if it's not
self-evident.' The OED's opinion does count for something -- and they
*had* more context.

I'm not convinced. The quote is from someone writing dialogue in
someone else's dialect. They may well be in error about how, say,
cockneys use 'chuffed'. It's also notable that both the OED's
quotes are from the 1960s. I'd have expected earlier if 'chuffed'
had a long pedigree of meaning pissed off. Note also that in the
entry for 'chuff' meaning churlish the OED marks it as obsolete
and dialect.

As a native English speaker I'm not convinced that many people in
the UK currently use 'chuffed' to mean anything other than
pleased, and I'd like to see more convincing evidence that they
ever did.



I
took it to mean that the person spoken to wouldn't want "her" to be
pleased, and that if she knew the person were being chased by the police
she would be. Alternatively, for all I know, the person being spoken to
is a police officer.

There are all kinds of ways to twist things to try to fit one's
preconceptions. But in this case, there have been more meanings to the
words "chuff" and "chuffed" than the UK-Plussers use in 2007.

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 : The First Part of King Henry IV
1596-1597

FALSTAFF Hang ye, gorbellied knaves, are ye
undone? No, ye fat chuffs: I would your store were
here! On, bacons, on! What, ye knaves! young men must
live. You are Grand-jurors, are ye? we'll jure ye, '
faith.
[Here they rob them and bind them. Exeunt]


Different word, maybe be derived from the bird.


L.T. Meade, "a Very Naughty Girl," Pub. NY, 1905:
"I am afraid of Lady Frances. Miss Audrey can be very
rude. She was very chuff with me on New Year's Day."
"She won't be chuff with you in my presence,"
said Evelyn.

As stated above, this usage marked by OED as obsolete and
dialect. And a US publication.


....


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Mike Page
Who has a space after the two dashes in his
sig. separator, honest.
.