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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

GUFF, n.¹, v.¹ Also goff (Sc. 1868 D. M. Ogilvy Willie Wabster 18), gouf(f), gowf(f), †goaf, goof, guif, and dims. guffie (Jam.²), -y (Ayr. 1952 Sc. Daily Mail (10 Jan.)). [Sc. gʌf, Dmf. + gʌuf]

I. n. A fool, a simpleton (Rxb. 1802 J. Sibbald Chron. Sc. Poetry, Gl., guff, goff, 1923 Watson W.-B., ‡goff, gowf, guif, 1942 Zai, guff; Bwk. 1942 Wettstein, guff; Dmf. 1925 Trans. Dmf. & Gall. Antiq. Soc. 27, gouf, Abd.³¹ (guffie), em. and s.Sc. 1955); a foolish giddy girl (Dmf. 1894 Trans. Dmf. & Gall. Antiq. Soc. 148, gowf). Also in n.Eng. dial. and in form goof in U.S. slang.Edb. 1801 J. Thomson Poems 29:
Here lies interr'd below this truff, A miser and a silly guff.Slk. 1818 Hogg Wool-gatherer (1874) 78:
Your wife! Weel I wat ye'll never get the like o' her, great muckle hallanshaker-like guff.Dmf. 1822 Scots Mag. (April) 488:
I'd sooner ha'e Habbit in his sark, than Aggie Dinwoodie's gouff o' a dominie.Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 40:
Though mony a Goaf and Glumf, Though mony a Haverall they hae bred.Abd. 1832 W. Scott Poems 130:
This noted lane was ance the howff O' mony a doughty gentle gouff.Per. a.1869 C. Spence Poems (1898) 17:
Ye tak me for a silly guff, “A gomeral gowk” ye ca'd me.Rxb. c.1885 W. Laidlaw Poetry & Prose (1901) 48:
[He] came in Tae tell that “Tam-the-Goof” was deid.Edb. 1894 P. H. Hunter J. Inwick xv.:
He no' thocht we were sic guffies as to be taen in wi' that.Gall. 1901 Trotter Gall. Gossip 113:
Oot o' derision they ca't him Stewart M'Gomeral, for he was a perfet gowf forbye.Edb. 1986:
Guffie (heard in court, parting shot of an accused after sentence). Abd. 1990 Stanley Robertson Fish-Hooses (1992) 9:
The pure guffy of a gaffer screamed at mi like an animal, pointed ower tae a cauld finnin machine and booted mi airse ower in the direction of it. Abd. 1994 Stanley Robertson in James Robertson A Tongue in Yer Heid 18:
Looking at him she could see he wis aboot four feet high, a lang sniping nose, a hump on his back and he wis covered wi toad warts. Bless and save us he wis an ugly wee guffie.

Hence 1. guffie, guffish, adj., stupid, foolish (Sc. 1808 Jam., guffie; Rxb. 1825 Jam.; Gall. c.1920; Rxb. 1955, Rxb. 1990s); 2. guffishly, adv., foolishly (Rxb. 1825 Jam., 1923 Watson W.-B.); 3. guffishness, n., foolishness (Ib.).1. Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 225:
Ilk clauchan's pang'd wi' goafish bards, The de'il a mailins free o' them.Gall. 1877 “Saxon” Gall. Gossip 53:
He was kind o' gowfish a wee.

II. v. “To flaunt about, to coquette” (Dmf. 1894 Trans. Dmf. & Gall. Antiq. Soc. 148).