verb
Common
Jeff
jehf
Jeff (verb) means printing trade slang: to gamble using type spacers (em quads) as makeshift dice. Example: “The printers used to jeff for drinks after their shift.”
verb
1
Printing trade slang: to gamble using type spacers (em quads) as makeshift dice.
"The printers used to jeff for drinks after their shift."
How to use Jeff
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishAn obscure printing-trade term for gambling with type spacers.
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Word forms
- Plural
- Jeffs
- Third person singular
- jeffs
- Past tense
- jeffed
Fill the gap
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The printers used to _____ for drinks after their shift.
Etymology
Ultimately from Jeffrey, a variant of Geoffrey, from an Old French aristocratic name of Germanic origin.
Rhymes for Jeff
See all rhymes for Jeff →Frequently asked questions
What does “Jeff” mean?
The word “Jeff” means printing trade slang: to gamble using type spacers (em quads) as makeshift dice. In plain terms, an obscure printing-trade term for gambling with type spacers.
How do you pronounce “Jeff”?
“Jeff” is pronounced jehf (/d͡ʒɛf/ in IPA).
How do you use “Jeff” in a sentence?
Here is “Jeff” used in a sentence: “The printers used to jeff for drinks after their shift.”
What part of speech is “Jeff”?
“Jeff” is a verb.
Where does the word “Jeff” come from?
The word “Jeff” comes from Old French. Ultimately from Jeffrey, a variant of Geoffrey, from an Old French aristocratic name of Germanic origin.
Is “Jeff” a common word?
“Jeff” is a fairly common word in modern English.
What does 'to jeff' mean in printing?
In old printing-trade slang, to jeff is to gamble using em quads, the small square metal spacers from a typesetter's case, tossing them like dice. Printers would shake a handful and bet on how many landed face up. It was a common workshop pastime in the hand-typesetting era.
What is an em quad?
An em quad is a piece of metal type used as blank spacing rather than a printed letter. It is square, measuring an 'em,' the width of the type size in use. Because the pieces are small, flat, and uniform, printers found them convenient to throw like dice when they jeffed.
Is 'jeff' still used today?
Rarely. Jeffing belongs to the era of hand-set metal type, so the term faded as printing became mechanized and then digital. It survives mainly in histories of the printing trade and collections of printers' slang, rather than in everyday speech, making it a piece of specialist vocabulary.
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