bluff

bluff
bluff1
—bluffly, adv. —bluffness, n.
/bluf/, adj., bluffer, bluffest, n.
adj.
1. good-naturedly direct, blunt, or frank; heartily outspoken: a big, bluff, generous man.
2. presenting a bold and nearly perpendicular front, as a coastline: a bluff, precipitous headland.
3. Naut. (of the bow of a vessel) having a full, blunt form.
n.
4. a cliff, headland, or hill with a broad, steep face.
5. North Dakota, Wisconsin, and the Canadian Prairie Provinces. a clump or grove of trees on a prairie or other generally treeless area.
[1620-30; perh. < MLG blaff smooth, even, or < MD blaf broad, flat]
Syn. 1. forthright, open, honest; rough, crude. See blunt. 2. abrupt, steep.
Ant. 1. subtle.
bluff2
—bluffable, adj. —bluffer, n.
/bluf/, v.t.
1. to mislead by a display of strength, self-confidence, or the like: He bluffed me into believing that he was a doctor.
2. to gain by bluffing: He bluffed his way into the job.
3. Poker. to deceive by a show of confidence in the strength of one's cards.
v.i.
4. to mislead someone by presenting a bold, strong, or self-confident front: That open face makes it impossible for him to bluff.
n.
5. an act or instance or the practice of bluffing: Her pathetic story was all a bluff to get money from us. His assertive manner is mostly bluff.
6. a person who bluffs; bluffer: That big bluff doesn't have a nickel to his name.
7. call someone's bluff, to expose a person's deception; challenge someone to carry out a threat: He always said he would quit, so we finally called his bluff.
[1665-75; perh. < LG bluffen to bluster, frighten; akin to MD bluffen to make a trick at cards]
Syn. 1. deceive, fool, dupe, delude, hoodwink.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Synonyms:
, (Said of the countenance.) / , , / , , , , (especially on the margin of a river or the sea)


Look at other dictionaries:

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