[Ads-l] DUFF

[Marisa Brook]

>From someone who's has one foot (or at least a couple of toes) in the YA-writers' world...it's worth pointing out that Kody Keplinger was very young when she started her writing career. As I recall, she landed an agent and publisher at the age of 17. One of the review-magazines, commenting on "The DUFF," made a note of her "snarky teen-speak" alongside lauding her for her realistic characters. I wouldn't be surprised if Keplinger's novels have been capturing a lot of interesting slang that's actually found among teenagers!

Marisa Brook
Ph.D. candidate, Department of Linguistics, University of Toronto
http://individual.utoronto.ca/mbrook/

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Date:    Fri, 20 Feb 2015 11:02:39 -0500
From:    Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at GMAIL.COM>
Subject: DUFF

There's a new teen comedy out called "The Duff." In the movie it's
explained that "DUFF" is an acronym for "Designated Ugly Fat Friend."
The movie is based on a 2010 YA novel of the same name by Kody
Keplinger. Urban Dictionary has had an entry for "DUFF" since 2003:

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=duff&defid=25336

--bgz

--
Ben Zimmer
http://benzimmer.com/

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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Date:    Fri, 20 Feb 2015 12:14:08 -0500
From:    GUY LETOURNEAU Owner <guy1656 at CENTURYLINK.NET>
Subject: Re: DUFF

In science fiction fandom of the 60s and 70s, "DUFF" was the 'Down Under Fan Fund,' a kind of slush fund or kitty that SF clubs or convention organizers could pull from to subsidize the admission cost of a financially inchoate friend of the community.

It was also used as a verb.

- GLL

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ben Zimmer" <bgzimmer at GMAIL.COM>
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Sent: Friday, February 20, 2015 8:02:39 AM
Subject: DUFF

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Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Poster:       Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      DUFF
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There's a new teen comedy out called "The Duff." In the movie it's
explained that "DUFF" is an acronym for "Designated Ugly Fat Friend."
The movie is based on a 2010 YA novel of the same name by Kody
Keplinger. Urban Dictionary has had an entry for "DUFF" since 2003:

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=duff&defid=25336

--bgz

--
Ben Zimmer
http://benzimmer.com/

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org