tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post5880840104471310095..comments2024-03-28T16:11:36.465+00:00Comments on Separated by a Common Language: scoff and scarflynneguisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-23269650874614401572023-12-09T07:48:00.707+00:002023-12-09T07:48:00.707+00:00in south london, scarf becomes scoff... hard... h...in south london, scarf becomes scoff... hard... hod.....bark bahk etcAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-89512275896645756662023-12-09T07:45:48.334+00:002023-12-09T07:45:48.334+00:00I think it is a cockney way of saying scarf, as t...I think it is a cockney way of saying scarf, as to put into a scarf<br />and run with it. Eaten then, quickly on the run. <br />"oy , yeah, i only went and did it, eh? scarfed me up the last <br />cookie in the guvnah's bin, ran wi it, and et it , quick like, i did": Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-52339183460633357062023-11-16T18:07:35.772+00:002023-11-16T18:07:35.772+00:00Nothing to do with Auguste Escoffier then?Nothing to do with Auguste Escoffier then?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-67690717403971214602021-08-14T13:55:24.158+01:002021-08-14T13:55:24.158+01:00My Australian ears were shocked when an American w...My Australian ears were shocked when an American workmate in Sydney used ‘scarf’ regarding food, several times. <br /><br />I knew she was a very literate person with clear diction and an excellent speller, and once might have been accident but clearly several times was not.<br /><br />When I explained that it was another British v American difference, and that we would say ‘scoff’, she was just as shocked.Cleodorahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11040176898528044331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-60684875880300597132021-01-31T13:01:12.859+00:002021-01-31T13:01:12.859+00:00I know it's fanciful, but I so wish the word S...I know it's fanciful, but I so wish the word Scoff had come from the name of the famous French Chef Auguste Escoffier, would have made me so happy. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02361213609275192405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-83322091775677895292020-09-21T18:46:10.175+01:002020-09-21T18:46:10.175+01:00As a general rule, if you hear that a slang word i...As a general rule, if you hear that a slang word is based on an acronym, you've probably been told a tall tale. 'Scran' is an old dialectal word and there's really no chance it came from the contents of a Navy snack. The OED traces it back to the early 1700s and you still hear it in the north east. It might come from a Nordic word, but the jury is out on that.lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-73572689155999390682020-09-19T15:33:31.196+01:002020-09-19T15:33:31.196+01:00I am a British serviceman (Royal Navy). In the Nav...I am a British serviceman (Royal Navy). In the Navy we use the word scran as a meaning for food. It's origins come from when scurvy was a problem for sailors onboard ships and to try to reduce the effect of the disease by adding vitamins and protein to the diet, the sailors were given a snack of Sultanas, Currents, Raisins And Nuts (SCRAN!). We still use the words scran queue (to queue in line for food), scran hall (dining room) and scran spanners (cutlery). The Army use the word SCOFF for food. They do not have scoff halls, scoff spanners etcetera as they are not as clever with language as their seafaring counterparts. It is not unusual however to hear the word scoff used commonly in England. Whether "to scoff down your dinner"; the act of eating quickly and with little manners, or "that was some tasty scoff"; description of how the food tasted. Frankiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15007213307074762642noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-84340006890317783472020-03-22T13:30:29.291+00:002020-03-22T13:30:29.291+00:00So the action "to scoff" (food) is not a...So the action "to scoff" (food) is not an awesome reference to the legendary French Chef Auguste Escoffiere?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12324665681222336347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-19850573102042168852018-12-20T22:13:17.515+00:002018-12-20T22:13:17.515+00:00In New England we say “scoff down” food. We don’t...In New England we say “scoff down” food. We don’t say scarf. The first time I heard that in the Midwest, I was confused as to what a scarf had to do with food.Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09190678147582837377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-37703995353296182012018-04-10T13:11:43.752+01:002018-04-10T13:11:43.752+01:00I Googled 'scoff' because I'm about to...I Googled 'scoff' because I'm about to leave for the Auguste Escoffier museum here in Villeneuve-Loubet, near Nice. I was sure that 'scoff' originated from this famous 19century creative chef. No, but what a nice coincidence!Twentyplushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05026534794764596776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-84700928656972406012017-04-02T13:16:02.705+01:002017-04-02T13:16:02.705+01:00Scoff is a British Army word for eat, meal time, a...Scoff is a British Army word for eat, meal time, and food. The RN uses scran. I was surprised to hear African Americans using scoff for the same meaning in NYC and in Louisiana. Where does the word come from?Borderbadgerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15412817598400330191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-8017024519928269852017-02-13T02:52:51.797+00:002017-02-13T02:52:51.797+00:00Same exact reaction as you! Thank you for research...Same exact reaction as you! Thank you for researching this so I don't have to. ;-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-14485785608667046172015-09-20T22:11:27.556+01:002015-09-20T22:11:27.556+01:00In the British Army 'scoff' is used as a n...In the British Army 'scoff' is used as a noun for food, rather than as a verb for eating. Thus: "It's time for scoff." Or "Get that scoff down you".Dom Hydehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12802016463005133768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-56160782151524669012015-09-04T20:23:04.127+01:002015-09-04T20:23:04.127+01:00In college at the University of Maryland in the 60...In college at the University of Maryland in the 60s, my dorm mates from Baltimore said things like "Let's go scarf down some pizza". Years earlier I had seen a Mad Magazine lampoon of a toothpaste ad supposedly intended for jazz musicians; it had the motto "For cats who can't sand every scoff". I think that was my only encounter with "scoff" in the context of eating. I figured it was a synonym of "scarf" but was never sure. In any case, the Mad Magazine writers of the 50s expected "scoff" to be understood. The idea that "scarf" (in this sense) is a corruption of "scoff" seems plausible to me, and it seems to have gained dominance.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01108757096065596671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-23187327157500216412015-09-04T15:00:35.258+01:002015-09-04T15:00:35.258+01:00Thinking it over, in my (BrE, elderly) speech to s...Thinking it over, in my (BrE, elderly) speech <i>to scoff</i> is synonymous (almost) but less polished than <i>to wolf</i>.David Crosbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01858358459416955921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-16745993811941320692015-09-03T21:00:01.724+01:002015-09-03T21:00:01.724+01:00The OED gives the primary meaning of scoff v2 as
...The OED gives the primary meaning of <i>scoff v2</i> as <br /> <br /><i>trans.</i> To eat voraciously, devour; also <i>gen.</i> to eat. Also with <i>up, down</i>. Also <i>fig.</i><br /><br />In my experience the <i>gen,</i> meaning of simply 'to eat' is not available. Rather it signals <b>both</b> 'voraciously' <b>and</b> 'devour'. Like David Malone and jangalschu I equate it with the action of — for example — unsophisticated kids in unsophisticated cartoons. Faced with kid-attractive food, they do what Clare Ainsworth does when faced with a chocolate Santa: they eat it as quickly and comprehensively as possible. <br /><br />You<i> scoff</i> a thing because you're desperate not to give the opportunity to anyone else.<br /><br /><i>Down</i> or <i>up</i> can be used for belt-and-braces redundancy. It means 'completely' without a particle, but often sounds better with one.David Crosbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01858358459416955921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-73222595047061967422015-09-03T18:08:14.552+01:002015-09-03T18:08:14.552+01:00When someone scoffs at another they inhale deeply ...When someone scoffs at another they inhale deeply and make a noise, just before they speak to someone or about something in a scornfully derisive or mocking way. Kind of like getting ready for a long winded rant. Hence the phrase to scoff at someone or make a scoffing noise. So the phrase "to scoff food down" was used to describe someone who eat so fast as to inhale the food rather than chew it, as well as someone who makes a similar sound while devouring their food. I can only imagine that someone misheard this and came up with "scarf food down" which doesn't really make any sense, unless one eats scarves...Hydranthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14253016201560192506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-91004263266774158502013-06-29T14:11:08.200+01:002013-06-29T14:11:08.200+01:00Wow... I've been student teaching and there...Wow... I've been student teaching and there's a teacher-made poster of synonyms for 'eat', including the word 'scoff'. I thought about correcting him, but now I'm glad I didn't!Brynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01331398392683415023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-17397475043088629192008-02-21T17:28:00.000+00:002008-02-21T17:28:00.000+00:00Like David, the term "scoff" conjures up for me im...Like David, the term "scoff" conjures up for me images of the Bash Street Kids, or of the children in 1950s/1960s children's novels set in boarding schools (e.g. Billy Bunter), dashing to the tuck shop. <BR/>"Scarf" is what I wear round my neck!<BR/><BR/>(I much enjoy the blog, by the way!)janglaschuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05329429979953294274noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-5024326592090773512008-02-19T16:24:00.000+00:002008-02-19T16:24:00.000+00:00Never heard the expression "scoff" in relationship...Never heard the expression "scoff" in relationship to food, unless you thought it unworthy somehow. To my AmE ears, it is, and has alwasy been, "scarf" to practically inhale the food you are eating so fast.Sterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08856854126127258353noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-34632331375196690252008-02-12T15:09:00.000+00:002008-02-12T15:09:00.000+00:00After sending my last post (and quite in the wrong...After sending my last post (and quite in the wrong order of course) I googled "scarper." It has a longer and more colourful history than I had thought, although the explanation I had given is a part of it. To be found here:<BR/>http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/311400.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-12110410048373286712008-02-12T15:05:00.000+00:002008-02-12T15:05:00.000+00:00Molly, "scarper" is indeed BrE, probably from Lond...Molly, "scarper" is indeed BrE, probably from London originally, as it is rhyming slang and works best in a London accent. Like most London rhyming slang, it works in two stages. What you have to realise is that "scarper" in LonE rhymes more or less perfectly with "scapa." And to "scarper/scapa" (at least according to what I [ScE] have read and heard and which I have no reason to doubt) is a shortening of "Scapa Flow", which rhymes with "go." Not as contrived and unlikely as some might think: it's how London rhyming slang works. For instance, the LonRS for a watch is "kettle." Kettle is short for kettle and hob (as in stovetop in BrE), hob rhymes with fob, as in fob watch, and so we get kettle for "a watch."<BR/><BR/>Sorry for length of post.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-57657917778755974802008-02-11T21:57:00.000+00:002008-02-11T21:57:00.000+00:00"There's a strong suggestion that the verb (Scoff)..."There's a strong suggestion that the verb (Scoff) is from a quite different English dialect word, scaff, meaning to gobble"<BR/><BR/>According to everything I have seen. This quote from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_20051023/ai_n15719152JohnBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17557412116309148129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-5031164823947942852008-02-11T20:29:00.000+00:002008-02-11T20:29:00.000+00:00I wonder if scoff/scarf is, in some way related to...I wonder if scoff/scarf is, in some way related to quaff, which I (US Northeast) would only use in relation to drinking something.Roger Owen Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05298172138307632062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-69092162042388497222008-02-10T08:37:00.000+00:002008-02-10T08:37:00.000+00:00I've heard "scarf", but associated it with "snaffl...I've heard "scarf", but associated it with "snaffle"[BrE?] and "scarper"[BrE?], and assumed it meant something like "running off with the last cookie"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com