The film starred Gary Cooper as a dentist named Lucius Griffith "Biff" Grimes. See what you can do."Ī similar origin is implied in the review of the 1933 film (adapted from a stage play) One Sunday Afternoon, that appeared in Punch magazine. Kollock earned that nickname 'Biff' by bouncing right hooks off opponents' jaws. Try to make him talk but don't get too close. Kollock doesn't like newspapermen, not from papers on our side of the political fence, anyway. Ford recounts that the editor had told Scott: Larry Scott, a reporter for the New York Sun newspaper, was assigned by his editor to interview a boxer by the name of Biff Kollock. Direct evidence of this can be found in the 1945 non-fiction book Larry Scott of the Sun by Edward Ford. The nickname "Biff" appears to have been a loan from this previous American slang, used primarily to describe pugnacious types. Green's Dictionary of Slang agrees, citing many more examples. " Biff (Americanism), to give a 'biff in the jaw'." This is first found in Berre & Leland's 1889 Dictionary of Slang, Jargon and Cant, published in Edinburgh: "Biff" also had become a noun, meaning "a blow, whack", according to the OED. Biff! A well-aimed blow.") and Arthur Miller in the 1949 play Death of a Salesman (the central conflict in the play is between Willy Loman, the salesman, and his oldest son Biff, who was a star high school football player who had dropped out before graduating). "When I go to turn, if I don't remember, Bif!-and I'm in to something."Ī couple other well-known authors who used it were D.H Lawrence in his 1934 book Modern Lover ("He.took the poker with satisfaction. Wells used it in 1905 in his book Kipps: The Story of a Simple Soul: "I hit him, biff, alongside of his smeller."īy the turn of the century, it was known in the UK. The earliest instance they cite comes from the 1843 book Streaks of Squatter Life, and Far-West Scenes by John S. The current rotation is:Īccording to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word "biff" was originally "imitative" slang used as:Īn exclamation uttered when something strikes an object, or a sound imitative of such a blow. Previous AMAs | Previous Roundtables Featuresįeature posts are posted weekly. May 25th | Panel AMA with /r/AskBibleScholars Please Subscribe to our Google Calendar for Upcoming AMAs and Events To nominate someone else as a Quality Contributor, message the mods. Our flaired users have detailed knowledge of their historical specialty and a proven record of excellent contributions to /r/AskHistorians. Please Read and Understand the Rules Before Contributing. Report Comments That Break Reddiquette or the Subreddit Rules. Serious On-Topic Comments Only: No Jokes, Anecdotes, Clutter, or other Digressions. Provide Primary and Secondary Sources If Asked. Write Original, In-Depth and Comprehensive Answers, Using Good Historical Practices. Questions should be clear and specific in what they ask, and should be able to get detailed answers from historians whose expertise is likely to be in particular times and places. Nothing Less Than 20 Years Old, and Don't Soapbox. Be Nice: No Racism, Bigotry, or Offensive Behavior. Downvote and Report comments that are unhelpful or grossly off-topic. Upvote informative, well sourced answers.New to /r/AskHistorians? Please read our subreddit rules and FAQ before posting! Apply for Flair
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