Toff

In British English slang, a toff is a derogatory stereotype for someone with an aristocratic background or belonging to the landed gentry, particularly someone who exudes an air of superiority. For instance, The Toff, a character from the series of adventure novels by John Creasey, is an upper-class crime sleuth who uses a common caricature of a toff – a line drawing with a top hat,

In Australia this is known as monocle, bow-tie and cigarette with a holder – as his calling card. Hoorah Henry has a similar meaning.

Etymology

The word "toff" is thought to come from the word "tuft", which was a gold tassel worn by titled undergraduates at the University of Oxford or the University of Cambridge. The Anglo-Saxon word "toforan" has a meaning of "superiority". It is possible the derivation of "toff" is earlier than is generally supposed.

See also

References