Chuffed - happy or unhappy?

Question

I was looking into the word chuffed this morning, and came across this:-

chuffed 1 /tʃʌft/
adjective British Informal.
delighted; pleased; satisfied.

Origin: 1855–60; see chuff2 , -ed2

chuffed2 /tʃʌft/
adjective British Informal.
annoyed; displeased; disgruntled.

Origin: 1825–35; compare dial. (mainly S England) chuff, choff ill-tempered, surly, probably to be identified with chuff(1)

This is worse than inflammable.

I have lived in the south-east, the south-west and the north-east of England and have only ever come across the first meaning. Is the second meaning still in use anywhere? Does anyone know how this duplicate usage came into existance?

Answer 1

I've only ever heard the pleased meaning.

The OED says chuffed is originally military slang, and has both meanings. The "pleased, satisfied" meaning has four quotations from 1957 to 1967, whilst the "displeased, disgruntled" meaning has two, in 1960 and 1964. One is from David Storey's This Sporting Life and the other is from Celia Dale's Other people.

Norman W. Schur's British English A to Zed (2001) says:

Slang. This curious bit of antiquated army slang has two diametrically opposite meanings, depending on the context. One can say chuffed pink (tickled pink) to mean 'pleased' or dead chuffed to mean 'displeased.' In the second sense,chuffed is synonymous with choked.

The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English (2008) says:

chuffed adjective 1 pleased, delighted; flattered; very excited. Originally northern English dialect meaning ‘proud’, adopted by military, then wider society. The current, more generalised usage was possibly spread by jazz fans. Embellishments include ‘chuffed to fuck’; ‘chuffed to arseholes’; ‘chuffed to buggery’; ‘chuffed pink’; ‘chuffed to little mint-balls’; ‘bo-chuffed’; ‘chuffed to little naffy breaks’; ‘chuffed to naffy breaks’ and ‘chuffed to oil-bumps’. Often qualified by intensifiers DEAD, REAL, WELL, etc UK, 1957. 2 displeased, disgruntled. Qualifiers and context may be required to distinguish usage from the previous sense as ‘pleased’. Variants include ‘dischuffed’ and ‘dead chuffed’ UK, 1961

Answer 2

I think the information posted in the question pretty much answers the question. Originating some time between 1825–35, the meaning of "chuffed" was negative. Not long after that time, around 1855–60, the meaning changed to a positive. Unless you were around over 158 years ago, you would probably not have a recollection of the first meaning.

All being told, the original meaning did not hang around for long in the grand scheme of things and is more or less redundant (apart from potentially appearing in a small amount of literature between 1825-35).

On a different note - I often hear the use of the word "chuffed" to mean "farted" as in "have you just chuffed?". Obviously this is never directed at myself.

Answer 3

In Canada we use this word as a negative: "I was really chuffed that I didn't get that raise."

I only heard it as a positive when I watched British TV. Even though my mother came to Canada from Britain when she was 14, and I grew up with my British grandmother — never heard it as a positive from them. Odd, that one.

Answer 4

I am very happy to have stumbled on this discussion. I do not agree that the negative usage is obsolete. I have heard both usages -- in London -- from the same person (someone who grew up in middle class circumstances in southern England) -- and have sometimes wondered if I was misunderstanding the meaning. I would agree that the more common usage is currently the positive one. Since the feeling being described is one of heightened emotion, perhaps there is an original sense akin to "excited", which can be a pleasant or unpleasant experience, depending on circumstances.

Answer 5

In my observation, the negative meaning is likely the older version as evidenced by usage in older movies and TV shows and regionally dependent. In the British sitcom "last of the summer wine", set in the yorkshire area, the character Compo complains how his wife left him for another man by exclaiming "she ran off with a chuffing Pole".

By contrast, 'chuffed' when used by cast members of the Brittish car restoration show "Wheeler Dealers" is expressing delight with the results of their project as they are obviously pleased. Newer show and different region.

So, like other words that have dual meanings or usages, "chuff, chuffed and chuffing" will be regionally and contextually sensitive.

Answer 6

I know this is a relatively old thread, but I have heard "chuffed" mentioned in both contexts.

I have heard people say that they are "chuffed off". Or if they are feeling a bit impatient when you ask them a question, they deem annoying, they may snap, "Chuffed if I know".

Answer 7

As a 60something y.o. Australian and ex English teacher, my earliest recollections of the word being used were meaning to be displeased or unhappy with. I was shocked when the word came into vogue a few years ago and was used to express pleased with, or about. I believed that the myriad users who jumped onto the use of the word were using it incorrectly until I verified the dual use. I would have argued the point too, such was my understanding.