Link Centre Dictionary

jiffy

US/ˈd͡ʒɪ.fi/ uncommon uk

noun

1.

a very short time (as the time it takes the eye blink or the heart to beat)

  • “if I had the chance I”
Synonyms

Origin

Origin unknown; said to have been thieves’ cant for “lightning”. Also formerly written "giffy", to which a connection with gliff has been proposed. As a kind of envelope, a genericization of Jiffy bag.

Phrases

  • in a jiffy
  • Jiffy bag
  • jiffy tummy

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.