{"id":7068,"date":"2022-08-03T18:02:08","date_gmt":"2022-08-03T18:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=7068"},"modified":"2022-08-03T18:02:08","modified_gmt":"2022-08-03T18:02:08","slug":"duff-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/duff-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"DUFF \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Everyone has that one<\/em> friend who makes you look prettier, thinner, and more attractive. Perhaps you bring them out as your wingman\/woman, or maybe you hang out with them when you need a boost of self-confidence.<\/p>\n

While they may look unfortunate, they usually have an A+ personality and sense of humor. We call this friend a DUFF.<\/em><\/p>\n

This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n

Meaning<\/h2>\n

A DUFF <\/em>is a designated ugly fat friend. This term is most often used by individuals with a good sense of humor to describe themselves in their friend group or hurl it as an insult to others. Context is extremely important in determining the humor or harm of this word.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mostly outdated, this term is used most often as an insult to others or in an ironic sense as self-descriptors on social media.<\/p>\n

Example Usage<\/h2>\n

\u201cGrowing up as the duff in my friend group let me expand on my comedic repertoire.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you normal or were you the duff in school who got asked out as a joke and laughed at by boys so you can never see yourself as pretty or conventionally attractive and have become a completely undesirable adult with a personality that won\u2019t quit?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNone of you have been the duff of your friend group and it shows.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy friends told me I was the duff of the group so I lost 50lbs and became attractive to trap their boyfriends in my DMs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly people who have been the duff know the shallow and fake compliments people give you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRemember when Hollywood made a movie calling Mae Whitman a duff?\u201d<\/p>\n

Origin DUFF<\/h2>\n

DUFF is an acronym for \u201cdesignated ugly fat friend\u201d and a popular term from the early 2000s. It is primarily used on social media as a complaint or self-description of individuals who are trying to be ironic, humorous, or declare their looks as lacking among their friend group.<\/p>\n

DUFF solidified itself in pop culture in 2011 with the YA novel The DUFF<\/em> by Kody Keplinger, later developed into a teen comedy film of the same name directed by Ari Sandel. The story follows a high school senior, Bianca, who finds out she is the DUFF of her friend group and tries to reinvent herself. Ultimately, she proclaims that everyone is a DUFF because there will always be someone better looking, and we must be true to our own identities.<\/p>\n