From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Puff \Puff\, adjective Puffed up; vain. [R.] --Fanshawe.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Puffball \Puff"ball'\, noun (Bot.) A kind of ball-shaped fungus ({Lycoperdon giganteum}, and other species of the same genus) full of dustlike spores when ripe; -- called also {bullfist}, {bullfice}, {puckfist}, {puff}, and {puffin}.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Puff \Puff\, verb (used without an object) [imp. & p. p. {Puffed} (p[u^]ft); p. pr. & vb. n. {Puffing}.] [Akin to G. puffen to pop, buffet, puff, D. poffen to pop, puffen to blow, Sw. puffa to push, to cuff, Dan. puffe to pop, thump. See {Puff}, noun]
1. To blow in puffs, or with short and sudden whiffs.
2. To blow, as an expression of scorn; -- with at.
It is really to defy Heaven to puff at damnation. --South.
3. To breathe quick and hard, or with puffs, as after violent exertion.
The ass comes back again, puffing and blowing, from the chase. --L' Estrange.
4. To swell with air; to be dilated or inflated. --Boyle.
5. To breathe in a swelling, inflated, or pompous manner; hence, to assume importance.
Then came brave Glory puffing by. --Herbert.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Puff \Puff\, noun [Akin to G. & Sw. puff a blow, Dan. puf, D. pof; of imitative origin. Cf. {Buffet}.]
1. A sudden and single emission of breath from the mouth; hence, any sudden or short blast of wind; a slight gust; a whiff. '' To every puff of wind a slave.'' --Flatman.
2. Anything light and filled with air. Specifically: (a) A puffball. (b) kind of light pastry. (c) A utensil of the toilet for dusting the skin or hair with powder.
3. An exaggerated or empty expression of praise, especially one in a public journal.
{Puff adder}. (Zo["o]l.) (a) Any South African viper belonging to {Clotho} and allied genera. They are exceedingly venomous, and have the power of greatly distending their bodies when irritated. The common puff adder ({Vipera arietans}, or {Clotho arietans}) is the largest species, becoming over four feet long. The plumed puff adder ({Clotho cornuta}) has a plumelike appendage over each eye. (b) A North American harmless snake ({Heterodon platyrrhinos}) which has the power of puffing up its body. Called also {hog-nose snake}, {flathead}, {spreading adder}, and {blowing adder}.
{Puff bird} (Zo["o]l.), any bird of the genus {Bucco}, or family {Bucconid[ae]}. They are small birds, usually with dull-colored and loose plumage, and have twelve tail feathers. See {Barbet} (b) .
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Puff \Puff\, verb (used with an object)
1. To drive with a puff, or with puffs.
The clearing north will puff the clouds away. --Dryden.
2. To repel with words; to blow at contemptuously.
I puff the prostitute away. --Dryden.
3. To cause to swell or dilate; to inflate; to ruffle with puffs; -- often with up; as, a bladder puffed with air.
The sea puffed up with winds. --Shak.
4. To inflate with pride, flattery, self-esteem, or the like; -- often with up.
Puffed up with military success. --Jowett (Thucyd. )
5. To praise with exaggeration; to flatter; to call public attention to by praises; to praise unduly. '' Puffed with wonderful skill.'' --Macaulay.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
adjective
1: gathered for protruding fullness; "puff sleeves" [syn: {puffed}]
noun
1: a short light gust of air [syn: {puff of air}, {whiff}]
2: a light inflated pastry or puff shell
3: exaggerated praise (as for promotional purposes)
4: bedding made of two layers of cloth filled with stuffing and stitched together [syn: {quilt}, {comforter}]
5: a soft spherical object made from fluffy fibers; for applying powder to the skin [syn: {powderpuff}]
6: thick cushion used as a seat [syn: {ottoman}, {pouf}, {pouffe}, {hassock}]
7: a slow inhalation (as of tobacco smoke); "he took a puff on his pipe"; "he took a drag on his cigarette and expelled the smoke slowly" [syn: {drag}, {pull}]
8: forceful exhalation through the nose or mouth; "he gave his nose a loud blow"; "he blew out all the candles with a single puff" [syn: {blow}]
verb
1: smoke and exhale strongly; "puff a cigar"; "whiff a pipe" [syn: {whiff}]
2: suck in or take (air); "draw a deep breath"; "draw on a cigarette" [syn: {drag}, {draw}]
3: breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted; "The runners reached the finish line, panting heavily" [syn: {pant}, {gasp}, {heave}]
4: make proud or conceited; "The sudden fame puffed her ego"
5: praise extravagantly; "The critics puffed up this Broadway production" [syn: {puff up}]
6: speak in a blustering or scornful manner; "A puffing kind of man"
7: to swell or cause to enlarge, "Her faced puffed up from the drugs" [syn: {puff up}, {blow up}, {puff out}]
8: blow hard and loudly; "he huffed and puffed as he made his way up the mountain" [syn: {huff}, {chuff}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
449 Moby Thesaurus words for "puff": Aqua-Lung, Danish pastry, French pastry, PR, acknowledgment, add to, adulate, advertise, advertisement, advocate, aggrandize, amplify, apotheosize, appreciation, artificial respiration, aspiration, asthmatic wheeze, augment, back, baklava, balloon, ballyhoo, bark, base, belaud, bepraise, bill, blast, bless, blintz, bloat, bloatedness, bloating, blow, blow a hurricane, blow great guns, blow over, blow up, blowing up, blubber, blurb, bluster, boast, boast of, boost, brag, brag about, break down, breakers, breath, breath of air, breathe, breathe hard, breathe in, breathe out, breathing, breeze, breeze up, brew, bright light, broaden, broken wind, build, build up, buildup, bulk, bulk out, bulletin, burlesque, burn out, butter, capful of wind, caricature, carry too far, celebrate, celebrity, chain-smoke, chaw, chew, chewing, chocolate eclair, circularize, clay, clown white, cock-a-doodle-doo, cold cream, collapse, collar, come up, comfortable, comforter, commend, commendation, common knowledge, compact, cosmetics, cough, crack up, cream puff, crescendo, crow, cry, cry up, currency, cushion, daylight, deify, develop, diastole, dilatation, dilate, dilation, distend, distension, dough, dowdy, down, drag, draught, draw, draw the longbow, droop, drop, dropsy, drugstore complexion, eclair, eclat, edema, eiderdown, emblazon, emit, enlarge, establish, eulogize, evacuate, exaggerate, exalt, exhalation, exhale, exhaust, expand, expel, expiration, expire, exposure, exsufflation, extend, extol, eye shadow, eyebrow pencil, faint, fame, famousness, fatigue, feather bed, feathers, flag, flatter, flatulence, flatulency, flatus, fleece, floss, flourish, flue, fluff, foam, foundation, foundation cream, freshen, froth, fume, gasconade, gasp, gassiness, gather, get tired, give a write-up, give off, give out, give publicity, give vent to, glare, glorify, go to extremes, good word, greasepaint, grow weary, gulp, gust, habitual smoking, hack, hand cream, hand lotion, head, heave, hero-worship, hiccup, hike, hike up, honorable mention, hoopla, hue and cry, huff, huff and puff, hype, hyperbolize, idolize, increase, inflate, inflation, inhalation, inhalator, inhale, inhale snuff, inspiration, inspire, insufflation, intumescence, iron lung, item, jade, kapok, lather, laud, laudation, lay it on, let out, limelight, lionize, lip rouge, lipstick, magnify, make much of, makeup, mascara, maximum dissemination, mention, meringue, meteorism, mousse, mouth, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, mudpack, nail polish, nicotine addiction, nicotinism, notice, notoriety, offscum, open the floodgates, open the sluices, overcharge, overdo, overdraw, overestimate, overpraise, overreach, overreact, oversell, overspeak, overstate, overstress, oxygen mask, oxygen tent, paint, pandowdy, panegyrize, pant, pastry, pasty, patisserie, patty, patty-shell, pay tribute, peter out, pie, pile it on, pillow, pipe up, placard, play out, plug, plush, poop out, porter aux nues, post, post bills, post up, powder, powder puff, praise, prate, press notice, press-agent, promote, promotion, public eye, public knowledge, public relations, public report, publicity, publicity story, publicize, publicness, pudding, puff and blow, puff of air, puff of wind, puff up, puffery, puffiness, puffing, pull, pump, pump up, push, putty, quiche, rage, raise, rarefy, reclame, recognition, recommend, reek, report, respiration, respire, review, rodomontade, rosette, rouge, rubber, run down, run out, salute, satin, scuba, scud, scum, sea foam, sell, set in, sigh, silk, sink, smoke, smoking, smoking habit, sneeze, sniff, sniffle, snore, snoring, snort, snuff, snuffle, soapsuds, souffle, speak for Buncombe, speak highly of, speak warmly of, speak well of, spiel, spindrift, spoondrift, spotlight, spray, spume, squall, steam, sternutation, stertor, stinging, stir of air, storm, stretch, stretch the truth, stretching, strudel, succumb, suck, suds, sufflate, support, surf, suspiration, swagger, swansdown, swell, swell out, swellage, swelling, swollenness, tabacism, tabacosis, tabagism, take snuff, talcum, talcum powder, talk big, talk in superlatives, tart, thistledown, throw off, timbale, tipsy cake, tire, tobaccoism, tout, travesty, trifle, trumpet, tumefaction, tumescence, tumidity, tumidness, turgescence, turgidity, turgidness, turnover, tympanism, tympany, up, vanishing cream, vanity case, vapor, vaunt, velvet, vol-au-vent, waft, war paint, wax, weary, wheeze, whiff, whiffet, whiffle, white water, widen, wilt, wind, windiness, wool, word, write up, write-up, zephyr
From Jargon File (4.3.1, 29 Jun 2001) [jargon]:
puff vt. To decompress data that has been crunched by Huffman coding. At least one widely distributed Huffman decoder program was actually _named_ 'PUFF', but these days it is usually packaged with the encoder. Oppose {huff}, see {inflate}.
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03) [foldoc]:
puff To decompress data that has been crunched by {Huffman coding}. At least one widely distributed Huffman decoder program was actually *named* "PUFF", but these days it is usually packaged with the encoder. Opposite: {huff}. [{Jargon File}] (1996-10-16)
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