In 1884, Angelo Moriondo of Turin, Italy, demonstrated the first working example of an espresso machine.
WHIFF
whiff
(noun) a strikeout resulting from the batter swinging at and missing the ball for the third strike
whiff
(noun) a lefteye flounder found in coastal waters from New England to Brazil
puff, puff of air, whiff
(noun) a short light gust of air
whiff
(verb) utter with a puff of air; “whiff out a prayer”
puff, whiff
(verb) smoke and exhale strongly; “puff a cigar”; “whiff a pipe”
whiff
(verb) strike out by swinging and missing the pitch charged as the third
whiff
(verb) drive or carry as if by a puff of air; “The gust of air whiffed away the clouds”
sniff, whiff
(verb) perceive by inhaling through the nose; “sniff the perfume”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology 1
Noun
whiff (plural whiffs)
A waft; a brief, gentle breeze; a light gust of air
An odour carried briefly through the air
A short inhalation or exhalation of breath, especially of smoke from a cigarette or pipe.
(figurative) A slight sign of something; a glimpse.
(baseball) A strike (from the batter’s perspective)
(golf) An attempted shot that completely misses the ball.
The megrim, a fish: Lepidorhombus boscii or Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis.
Synonyms
• (a movement of air): puff, waft
• (a brief odour): sniff
Verb
whiff (third-person singular simple present whiffs, present participle whiffing, simple past and past participle whiffed)
(transitive) To waft.
(transitive) To sniff.
(intransitive, baseball) To strike out.
(golf) To miss the ball completely.
(slang) To attempt to strike and miss, especially being off-balance/vulnerable after missing.
To throw out in whiffs; to consume in whiffs; to puff.
To carry or convey by a whiff, or as by a whiff; to puff or blow away.
(colloquial) To have or give off a strong, unpleasant smell.
(slang) To fail spectacularly at a task.
Adjective
whiff (comparative more whiff, superlative most whiff)
(colloquial) Having a strong or unpleasant odor.
Etymology 2
Verb
whiff (third-person singular simple present whiffs, present participle whiffing, simple past and past participle whiffed)
To fish with a handline.
Source: Wiktionary
Whiff, n. Etym: [OE. weffe vapor, whiff, probably of imitative origin; cf. Dan. vift a puff, gust, W. chwiff a whiff, puff.]
1. A sudden expulsion of air from the mouth; a quick puff or slight gust, as of air or smoke. But with the whiff and wind of his fell sword The unnerved father falls. Shak. The skipper, he blew a whiff from his pipe, And a scornful laugh laughed he. Longfellow.
2. A glimpse; a hasty view. [Prov. Eng.]
3. (Zoöl.)
Definition: The marysole, or sail fluke.
Whiff, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Whiffed; p. pr. & vb. n. Whiffing.]
1. To throw out in whiffs; to consume in whiffs; to puff.
2. To carry or convey by a whiff, or as by a whiff; to puff or blow away. Old Empedocles, . . . who, when he leaped into Etna, having a dry, sear body, and light, the smoke took him, and whiffed him up into the moon. B. Jonson.
Whiff, v. i.
Definition: To emit whiffs, as of smoke; to puff.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
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