Definition

1. Noun:
   • A traditional British steamed or boiled pudding made from a stiff flour dough, typically containing dried fruits such as currants, raisins, and candied citrus peel (citron). It is a dense, sweet dessert.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • For dessert, the sailors were served a hearty portion of plum duff.
  • My grandmother's recipe for plum duff includes plenty of currants and a hint of spice.

Advanced Usage

• The term "duff" is a northern English dialect variation of the word "dough." "Plum" is a historical term for raisins or other dried fruits, not necessarily plums. Therefore, "plum duff" essentially means a fruity dough pudding.
• It is traditionally associated with sailors' fare or hearty, old-fashioned cooking.

Variants and Related Words

• Spotted dick: A very similar traditional British steamed suet pudding containing dried fruit, often served with custard. While similar, spotted dick typically contains suet and is rolled, whereas plum duff can be made without suet.
• Steamed pudding: The general category of desserts to which plum duff belongs.

Synonyms

• Boiled pudding
• Steamed fruit pudding

Related Idioms

• While there are no direct idioms using "plum duff," the phrase is sometimes used informally to describe something solid, traditional, or unsophisticated, akin to the pudding itself.
  • His argument was as substantial as plum duff. (Implies it was heavy and perhaps old-fashioned, but with some worthwhile content).

Noun

1. a stiff flour pudding steamed or boiled usually and containing e.g. currants and raisins and citron