spiff up
To decorate or otherwise make more attractive.
He was all spiffed up, this chap, decked out in a spotless white shirt and a bow tie.
spiff
/spɪf/
noun 4verb 3adj 1
Collocations
4ADJ.
alone, certain, new, other
VERB + SPIFF
relies, trade, wedding
SPIFF + NOUN
articles, eniff, t, thy, words
PREP.
in, on, on
Definitions
adj
1
Neat, smartly dressed, attractive.
“Hah spiff he is to dāay!—he mud be bown tul a wedding!” “He’s spiff eniff for’t!”
Thah is spiff i’ thy new coit.
noun
1
Attractiveness or charm in dress, appearance, or manner.
Without a diploma, he relies on spiff alone to climb the corporate ladder.
2
A well-dressed man; a swell.
3
A bonus or other remuneration, given for reaching a sales goal or promoting the goods of a particular manufacturer. Originally from textile retailing, a percentage given for selling off surplus or out-of-fashion stock, of which the sales pe
The strongly-recommended piece of cloth was, in the conventional language of the drapery trade, a “spiff” in other words, a remnant of an old stock which had been lying by unsold for three or four years, perhaps longer, and had faded through keeping, like other beautiful things, thereby decreasing in value.
The premium takes the form of a commission on goods sold. In some places it is a small premium, or in trade parlance a “spiff” on certain articles, and on others on the amount of sales.
4
Alternative form of spliff (“hand-rolled marijuana cigarette”).
She rolled a spiff for us as she spoke, sifting the ganja between her fingers […]
verb
1
(usually with up or out) To make spiffy (attractive, polished, or up-to-date)
Oh, but we flatter ourselves that we are spiffed out; at all events, we've got our best dresses on.
This ensemble may be properly spiffed with a bolo tie, and topped off with a. . .
2
To reward (a salesperson) with a spiff or bonus.
It is my confirmed belief that, spiffed or not, the salesman is the consumer's best-qualified and best- informed source of assistance in matters of component selection.
The flight to Baton Rouge was ten dollars more. He said not to worry about it. I spiffed the guy twenty bucks and ended up in Baton Rouge a day earlier than I had expected.
3
To attach a spiff or bonus to the selling of (a product)
It wasn't my fault if the blamed old store caught fire and gave me a chance to help Ferguson move out some of the stuff that has been 'spiffed' till it looks like red ink had been spilled all over the price-tags.
Because you can pull out a spiff anywhere you are in the store and the customers are not aware that they are spiffed shoes.
Thesaurus
Synonyms
Antonyms
Idioms & Phrases
Example Bank
601
“Hah spiff he is to dāay!—he mud be bown tul a wedding!” “He’s spiff eniff for’t!”
Wiktionary02
Thah is spiff i’ thy new coit.
Wiktionary03
Without a diploma, he relies on spiff alone to climb the corporate ladder.
Wiktionary04
The strongly-recommended piece of cloth was, in the conventional language of the drapery trade, a “spiff” in other words, a remnant of an old stock which had been lying by unsold for three or four yea
Wiktionary05
The premium takes the form of a commission on goods sold. In some places it is a small premium, or in trade parlance a “spiff” on certain articles, and on others on the amount of sales.
Wiktionary06
Oh, but we flatter ourselves that we are spiffed out; at all events, we've got our best dresses on.
WiktionaryUsage Notes
i Register
In some senses, spiff is marked as archaic, slang, informal, colloquial. Watch for register when choosing this word.
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