Make Your Point > Archived Issues > RAFFISH

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pronounce RAFFISH: Say it "RAFF ish." To hear it, click here. connect this word to others: Here's Raffish Ralph, clearly a villain. But a smarmy, charming, fashionable villain: Someone raffish is a rascal, a scamp, a troublemaker, a fashionable villain, a lovable bad guy, a rap___llion. Could you recall that last word? It arose as a fun, fanciful lengthening of the word rascal. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)    definition: Our words "raff" and "raffish," as well as "riffraff," come from the Old French phrase rif et raf, meaning "one and all, or every scrap: everybody, including all the lower-class, vulgar, disreputable folks." This phrase rif et raf traces further back to a medieval French phrase, rifle et rafle, meaning "to strip and carry off," or less literally, "to rob the bodies of fallen soldiers on a battlefield, then hightail it out of there." Pretty nasty, right? So you can see how, in English, since the 1500s, we've used "raff" to mean "worthless stuff, or low-class people." And since the 1700s, we've used "raffish" to mean "sleazy, vulgar, or low-class." But the meaning of "raffish" softened over time, and now it most often means "wild, rascally, mischievous, and a little vulgar but also carefree and stylish." grammatical bits: Part of speech: Adjective: "a raffish grin," "a raffish spirit." Other forms:  Raffishly, raffishness. how to use it: "Raffish" is a somewhat rare word, so it helps you strike a stylish tone as you draw attention to just how dapper and daring someone is. We talk about raffish boys, men, characters, and personalities, as well as their raffish charm, clothes, hairstyles, manners, winks, smiles, jokes, etc. "Raffish" usually applies to men. Even when it describes women, it suggests masculinity. Here's the New York Times: "In her raffish T-shirts and boy coats, in concert [Patti Smith] is the anti Gaga." examples: "Played by the raffish Rupert Everett, George is handsome, sophisticated, and delightful."    — Tom Fellner, Buzzfeed, 27 July 2015    "A raffish and intrepid adventurer, [Thomas Blood] led one of those colorful lives that people who read too much secretly wish could be theirs."     — Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 27 July 2016 has this page helped you understand "raffish"? Awesome, I'm glad it helped! Thanks for letting me know! If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. study it: Explain the meaning of "raffish" without saying "jaunty" or "devil-may-care." try it out: "Raffish" usually describes people. But it could also describe places, like a college bar with a raffish energy, or a trendy city block with a raffish charm. It could even describe entire professions, communities, domains, etc. When the actor John Lithgow hosted the National Book Awards, he half-joked, "In your midst, I am a timid emissary from the raffish and vulgar world of entertainment." Talk about a person, place, community, or field that you'd describe as raffish. What makes this person, place, or thing edgy, but still so endearing? If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.) before you review, play: Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out. Our game for this month is Obits Tidbits! Check out a tidbit from the obituary of an extraordinary person, and see if you can name who it was. To see the answer, scroll all the way down. From the New York Times: "He would from time to time see some stranger, nose pressed against a car-showroom window, and invite the person to go inside and pick out the color [Cadillac] he or she liked best. [He] would then pay the entire cost of purchase on the spot." If you need some hints, highlight the hidden white text below.    This obituary was published in… 1977.    This person's initials are… E. P. review this word: 1. One opposite of RAFFISH is A. PRISSY. B. GENTLE. C. FELINE. 2. Toward the end of his stand-up act, Aziz puts on a raffish persona and starts _____. A. bringing out cheesy props B. serenading members of the audience C. telling filthy yet charming anecdotes Answers to the review questions: 1. A 2. C Answer to the game question: Elvis Presley. a final word: I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.