Literary notes about biff (AI summary)
The word “biff” operates on dual levels in literature. In many narratives it serves as a character name—a rugged, humorous protagonist whose actions drive the plot [1, 2, 3]—while in other contexts it functions as an onomatopoeic or emphatic term. In these instances, “biff” punctuates action or dialogue, evoking the sudden impact of a blow [4, 5, 6, 7] and even doubling as part of colloquial expressions like “to give a biff in the jaw” [8]. This versatility as both a personal moniker and a dynamic sound effect enriches the narrative texture and humor across assorted genres.
- Biff’s sense of humor came to his rescue.
— from Hawaiian Sea Hunt Mystery: A Biff Brewster Mystery Adventure by Andy Adams - Biff was as far off in the jeep as space would allow, down at the end of a long, smooth gully that practically formed a roadway to the clearing.
— from Mystery of the Ambush in India: A Biff Brewster Mystery Adventure by Andy Adams - All the other boys were coming, too, apparently shouting as loudly as they could, but the wind was against them, which was why Biff hadn’t heard them.
— from Mystery of the Ambush in India: A Biff Brewster Mystery Adventure by Andy Adams - "I said 'Tut!'" "Say it once again, and I'll biff you where you stand.
— from Right Ho, Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse - They think of a thing that's different, and, biff!
— from Blow The Man Down: A Romance Of The Coast by Holman Day - And It stopped short—biff—just as if It had been chopped off.
— from It, and Other Stories by Gouverneur Morris - Then it was biff, biff, biff, one after another.
— from The Nerve of Foley, and Other Railroad Stories by Frank H. (Frank Hamilton) Spearman - Tambouriner la —— à quelqu’un , to slap one’s face , “to fetch one a wipe in the mug,” or “to give a biff in the jaw” (Americanism).
— from Argot and Slang A New French and English Dictionary of the Cant Words, Quaint Expressions, Slang Terms and Flash Phrases Used in the High and Low Life of Old and New Paris by Albert Barrère
