Cf | search
Click here to view Cf news from 60+ newspapers.
Bookmark or Share- How does "pussy" come to mean "coward"?a. Chiefly colloq. A girl or woman exhibiting characteristics associated with a cat, esp. sweetness or amiability. Freq. used as a pet name or as a term of endearment. Cf. puss n.1 3, pussycat n. 3. c1557–65 in T. Wright Songs & Ballads (1860) lxxiv. 209 Adew, my pretty pussy, Yow pynche me very nere.
- etymology - English Language & Usage Stack ExchangeCf. 'mean enough to suck eggs,' used both of dogs & men. 1908 e. Ala[bama], w. G[eorgi]a. 'Suck-egg dog.' Common. 1930 e.cent. S[outh] C[arolina]. suck-egg dog = the apotheosis of meanness. 1934 suck-egg n., adj. applied contemptuously 1936, 1938 n.e. K[entuck]y. If it ain't I'm a suck-egg mule. [and] If that is right I'm a suck-egg mule! 1942 ...
- Origin of fag (meaning a cigarette in British English)According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, it comes from "fag", meaning a loose piece of cloth:. fag (n.1) Look up fag at Dictionary.com British slang for "cigarette" (originally, especially, the butt of a smoked cigarette), 1888, probably from fag "loose piece, last remnant of cloth" (late 14c., as in fag-end "extreme end, loose piece," 1610s), which perhaps is related to fag (v.), which ...
- Meaning of 'cf.' - English Language & Usage Stack Exchangecf., an abbreviation for the Latin word confer (the imperative singular form of "conferre"), literally meaning "bring together", is used to refer to other material or ideas which may provide similar or different information or arguments.
- "cf. with" vs "cf."? - English Language & Usage Stack ExchangeAlthough cf. has the sense of compare, it is a formulaic expression and not a drop-in replacement for compare. Several references clarify this by expanding the meaning to "compare with" - e.g. wiktionary and Oxford Dictionaries. Usage guides with examples also show cf. followed immediately by the reference.
More
