English

Interjection

oof

1. A sound mimicking the loss of air, as if someone's solar plexus had just been struck.

Etymology 2

From ooftish or possibly connected with French œuf ‎(“egg”)

Noun

oof ‎(uncountable)

1. (Britain, slang, dated, c. 1850 – c. 1940) Money.
   • 1888, H. Rider Haggard, Colonel Quaritch V.C. (archive.org ebook), page 232:

     “Oh,” Johnnie was saying, “so Quest is his name, is it, and he lives in a city called Boisingham, does he? Is he an oof bird?” (rich)
     “Rather,” answered the Tiger, “if only one can make the dollars run, but he's a nasty mean boy, he is.

   • 1911–1912, published 1916, Gilbert Parker, The World For Sale, book 2, chapter 10 (Gutenberg ebook, archive.org ebook):

     What's he after? Oof—oof—oof, that's what he's after. He's for his own pocket, he's for being boss of all the woolly West. He's after keeping us poor and making himself rich.

Derived terms

• oof-bird
• oofless
• oofy

Anagrams

• foo