Chuff, Chuffed

​Do you watch movies and TV programs made in Britain? You may have heard characters saying things like, “That worked out really well. I’m so chuffed!” Or, “She’ll be so chuffed when she sees this…”
 
The origins of the word chuff are unknown. It is an example of a word whose current meaning is quite different from its original meaning. When chuff first appeared in the mid-1400s, it meant a coarse, fat-headed, blunt clown. In the 1500s, chuff meant something swollen with fat. As recently as the 1830s, chuff meant displeased or gruff.
 
However, for some reason, by the 1860s chuff had more generally come to mean pleased or happy. Chuffed, meaning pleased, is from 1957.
 
In contrast, in American English, chuff seems to have retained its original meaning; e.g., Merriam-Webster defines chuff as someone who is a boor or churl. Merriam-Webster also defines chuff as the sound of noisy engine exhaust or noisy exhalations. These latter meanings of the word are from the early 20th century.
 
In brief, chuff is a word whose meaning depends on the context in which it is being used and on which side of the Atlantic it is being used.
 
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
David’s Wordshop Blog: http://www.davidtickner.ca/blog
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