Origin of 'piffle'

Posted by ESC on March 17, 2002

Does anyone have more information on this word? A coworker thinks that "piffle" was a word created by an author. I couldn't find anything to support that.

PIFFLE, PIFFLING - "Piffle is twaddle, nonsense, idle talk. There have been many suggestions concerning the term's origins, including the words 'puff,' pitiful,' and a combination of 'piddle' and 'trifle.' The word is first recorded in this sense in 1890." From the Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins by Robert Hendrickson (Facts on File, New York, 1997).

• Origin of 'piffle' R. Berg 03/18/02