fluff
/fluff/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun:
- Light, soft, and fluffy material: Small, loose, and lightweight fibers or particles, often from fabrics like wool or cotton, or from surfaces.
- Something trivial or of little value: Content, speech, or material that is insubstantial, superficial, or lacking in seriousness or depth.
- A blunder, especially in performance: A mistake, such as an actor forgetting their lines or a musician playing a wrong note.
Verb:
- To make something fluffy: To shake, pat, or arrange something so it becomes lighter, softer, and fuller in volume.
- To make a mistake or perform poorly: To fail at or mishandle a task, especially a performance or a simple action.
Examples of Usage
Noun:
- She brushed the fluff off her black sweater. (Referring to loose fibers.)
- The article was entertaining fluff, not serious journalism. (Referring to trivial content.)
- The actor had a moment of fluff in the second act but recovered well. (Referring to a performance mistake.)
Verb:
- Fluff the pillows before the guests arrive. (To make fluffy.)
- I completely fluffed my presentation; I forgot all my key points. (To perform poorly.)
Advanced Usage
"A bit of fluff": An informal, sometimes derogatory term for something or someone perceived as attractive but trivial or unintelligent.
- He dismissed the new fashion magazine as just a bit of fluff.
Technical/Performance Context: In broadcasting or theater, "fluff" specifically denotes an on-air error or a forgotten line.
- The radio host's fluff was edited out of the podcast.
Variants and Related Words
Fluffy (adjective): Being light, soft, and airy.
- The kitten had fluffy white fur.
Fluffer (noun): A person who prepares something to look fuller (e.g., a pillow fluffer). In film, a specific technical role.
- (Note: This word has a specific, adult-film industry meaning as well.)
Synonyms
- Noun (for material): Lint, fuzz, down.
- Noun (for mistake): Blunder, gaffe, slip.
- Noun (for triviality): Trivia, frivolity.
- Verb (to make fluffy): Fluff up, ruffle, tease.
- Verb (to botch): Bungle, mess up, botch.
Related Phrasal Verbs
Fluff up: To make something soft and light by shaking or patting.
- Fluff up the duvet to make the bed look inviting.
- The bird fluffed up its feathers to keep warm.
Fluff out: Similar to "fluff up," to shake something so it expands.
- She fluffed out her hair for more volume.
Related Idioms
- All fluff and no substance: Describing something that appears impressive but lacks real content or value.
- His speech was all fluff and no substance; he didn't propose any concrete plans.
Noun
- a blunder (especially an actor's forgetting the lines)
- something of little value or significance
- any light downy material
Verb
- ruffle (one's hair) by combing the ends towards the scalp, for a full effect
- erect or fluff up
- the bird ruffled its feathers
- make a mess of, destroy or ruin
- I botched the dinner and we had to eat out
- the pianist screwed up the difficult passage in the second movement