On NPR today I heard an interview with Nick Lowe about his new Christmas album, "Quality Street." He mentioned a word I am not familiar with, naff. He defines it when talking about how those in the UK think about a commercialized Christmas: "... in the U.K., we don't - we think it's all a bit vulgar, you know, doing Christmas or cashing in on Christmas. And there's a word we have for it, which is naff. And it's not exactly uncool. It really sort of means kind of vulgar and a bit - not very stylish."
Well, sort of. It really just means "not very good".
It's also used as a kind of minced oath in the expression "naff off" which was popularised by the 1970s sitcom Porridge where it was used instead of the obvious more offensive words.
(Father Ted pulled the same trick with the rather closer to the original "feck")This message has been edited. Last edited by: BobHale,
"No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money." Samuel Johnson.
Its immediate origin is probably from Polari but where that derived it appears to be uncertain. Its use as a substitute for "fuck" was certainly popularised by the sitcom Porridge but I don't think they invented the use. It's ultimate origin is one of those "you-pays-your-money-and takes-your-choice" things. Five minutes googling turned up at least half a dozen different possibilities. No one seems to know for sure.
I would however be willing to bet real money that the oft quoted "not available for fucking" origin is complete nonsense invented later as a post-hoc rationalisation. Acronym origins for slang are almost always naff.This message has been edited. Last edited by: BobHale,
"No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money." Samuel Johnson.
The OED says the origin is unknown, though says one theory is that it originates from Polari slang. They present evidence from that theory from 1967. They also say one of the most popular theories is the suggestion that it is perhaps an acronym of either Normal As Fuck or Not Available For Fucking, though they say that is probably a later rationalization.
The OED defines it as "unfashionable, vulgar; lacking in style, inept; worthless, faulty." That seems perfect for how it was used in the NPR report.
It's always nice to learn a new word for fuck. The OED says that the verb naff and the noun naff are "probably unrelated," though the origins of both are unknown. And it says a naff is a type of bird, probably the red-breasted merganser, Mergus serratus. Is that the bird that keeps getting flipped?
