A Ruff Is a Collar, a Bird and a Card Play
A ruff is a stiff pleated collar. The word also names a wading bird and a trump in cards.
A ruff is the stiff pleated collar worn in the sixteenth century, a ring of feathers or fur around an animal's neck, and in cards the act of playing a trump. The Elizabethan ruff grew steadily more extravagant until the largest needed wire frames to hold them up, and starch became a significant import. The bird called a ruff is named for the extraordinary collar the males grow in spring. The collar is probably a shortening of *ruffle*; the card term is separate, from an old game called *ruff*.
- A pleated collar. *An Elizabethan ruff.*
- A neck of feathers. *The bird's ruff.*
- A wading bird. *A ruff.*
- To play a trump. *Ruffing the trick.*
- Probably from *ruffle*. *The collar.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | ruff | A ruff. |
| Plural | ruffs | Ruffs. |
| Verb | ruff | Ruffing. |
| Related | ruffle | A ruffle. |
| Adjective | ruffed | A ruffed grouse. |
- He wore a starched ruff.Dress.
- A ruff displayed on the lek.Bird.
- She ruffed the trick.Cards.
The Elizabethan ruff
- Began as a modest frill at the shirt neck
- Starch arrived from the Low Countries in the 1560s
- Ruffs grew to a foot or more across
- Wire supports called supportasses held the largest
- They vanished within a generation of going out of fashion
Probably a shortening of *ruffle*; the card sense is from an old game named *ruff*.
Why is the bird called a ruff?
Because the males grow an extravagant collar of feathers in the breeding season, resembling the Elizabethan collar.
What does ruffing mean in cards?
Playing a trump card on a trick when unable to follow suit.