Fuzz Is Soft Fibre and Also Slang for Police
Fuzz is a mass of fine soft fibres. American slang gave the word a second and very different life.
Fuzz is a mass of fine light fibres or hairs, and in American slang a word for the police. The slang is recorded from the 1920s and its origin is unknown, with no convincing explanation among the several offered. The fibre sense is older, from the 1600s, probably imitative or from Dutch. In guitar amplification, *fuzz* names a deliberately distorted tone produced by clipping the waveform flat, first popularised by a damaged studio channel in 1961.
- Fine soft fibres. *Fuzz on a peach.*
- Blurred detail. *The image was fuzzy.*
- Police (US slang). *The fuzz.*
- A guitar effect. *A fuzz pedal.*
- From the 1600s. *The fibre sense.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | fuzz | Fuzz. |
| Adjective | fuzzy | Fuzzy. |
| Verb | fuzz | Fuzzing. |
| Compound | fuzz pedal | A fuzz pedal. |
| Related | fluff | Fluff. |
- Fuzz covered the new leaves.Fibres.
- The photo was too fuzzy.Blur.
- A fuzz pedal distorts the tone.Music.
How a fuzz pedal works
- A clean signal is a smooth wave
- Fuzz clips the peaks flat, turning it towards a square wave
- That adds harmonics the original note did not contain
- The first famous fuzz came from a damaged studio channel in 1961
- Distortion and overdrive clip more gently than fuzz does
Recorded from the 1600s, probably imitative or from Dutch. The police sense is American, from the 1920s, of unknown origin.
Why are police called the fuzz?
The origin is unknown. The slang is recorded from the 1920s and none of the proposed explanations is convincing.
What does a fuzz pedal do?
It clips the tops of the signal flat, adding harmonics and producing a rough buzzing tone.