Cute little duffer

Posted by Pamela on July 18, 2008 at 00:58

In Reply to: Cute little duffer posted by Victoria S Dennis on July 17, 2008 at 18:25:

: : Has anyone ever heard an individual or animal referred to as "a cute little duffer?"

: No. It's not exactly complimentary, as in British English a "duffer" is a blundering fool, and in Australian English I gather it means a swindler, specifically one who falsifies marks of ownership on cattle. (VSD)

Yes, "duffing" is the act of stealing or altering brands. So a "duffer" might be someone who does this, and if something is "duff" it can mean fake. Nine times out of ten, though, if you called someone a "duffer" they'd take it that you were calling them a blundering fool. There are 64 hits on google for "cute little duffer, though". Pamela

• Cute little duffer pamela 18/July/08