fluff
fluff — noun
1. very light, soft fibres that come off wool, cotton, or other fabrics, or the fin
very light, soft fibres that come off wool, cotton, or other fabrics, or the fine soft hair or feathers that cover a young animal or bird.
The kitten's fur was covered in white fluff from the wool blanket.
Sayaka picked bits of grey fluff off her black sweater before leaving the house.
collocation: bits of fluff
A thick layer of grey fluff had gathered under the old wooden bed.
The baby chicks were covered in pale yellow fluff from head to toe.
Benjamin wiped the fluff from his coat before the job interview started.
用法筆記
Usually uncountable — you do not say 'a fluff' for this meaning. To refer to a single piece, say 'a bit of fluff' or 'a piece of fluff'.
常見錯誤
2. films, books, TV shows, or other forms of content that are intended mainly to am
films, books, TV shows, or other forms of content that are intended mainly to amuse and do not carry deep meaning, serious thought, or lasting value.
Valentina reads celebrity gossip magazines as light fluff when she wants to relax.
collocation: light fluff
The comedy about a clumsy secret agent was pure summer fluff — fun to watch but easy to forget.
Marta reads poetry collections on the metro rather than the gossip magazines her colleagues pass around as fluff.
The lifestyle blog Selim reads at lunch is mostly fluff — celebrity news with no real reporting behind it.
- substance
serious, meaningful content
常見錯誤
3. a small mistake, especially one made by an actor or performer who forgets a line
a small mistake, especially one made by an actor or performer who forgets a line or says the wrong words while on stage or during recording.
The actor made a small fluff when he said 'good morning' instead of 'good evening.'
collocation: make a fluff
Hari apologised to the audience after his fluff during the second act.
Jessica said the wrong name on stage, but nobody noticed her small fluff.
Aoi forgot her line in Act One and made a fluff that nobody noticed.
用法筆記
Most common in theatre and performance contexts. For general everyday mistakes, use 'slip-up' or 'blunder' instead.
常見錯誤
fluff — verb
- fluffpresent simple I / you / we / they
- fluffs3rd person singular
- fluffing-ing form
- fluffedpast simple
1. to shake, brush, or arrange something such as hair, pillows, or fur so that it b
to shake, brush, or arrange something such as hair, pillows, or fur so that it becomes soft, light, and full of air instead of flat or pressed down.
Eve fluffed up the pillows on the sofa before the guests arrived.
fluff + up + object for making soft
Nadia fluffed her wet hair with the hairdryer to give it more volume.
The old woman fluffed the quilt on her bed every morning without fail.
Daichi took the feather pillows outside and beat them gently to fluff them up.
Liang fluffed the guest-room pillows and straightened the quilt before his mother-in-law arrived.
- puff up
similar meaning, often used for hair or feathers
- plump (up)
mainly for pillows and cushions; suggests reshaping
文法句型
fluff + up + noun phrase
fluff + noun phrase
用法筆記
The particle 'up' ('fluff up') is very common but optional. Both 'fluff the pillow' and 'fluff up the pillow' are correct, though the 'up' form is more frequent in speech. The intransitive use is rare ('the pillow fluffed nicely').
2. to perform a task, test, or piece of work poorly, often because of nervousness,
to perform a task, test, or piece of work poorly, often because of nervousness, lack of preparation, or a simple slip.
Sayaka was so nervous during the presentation that she fluffed her opening sentence.
fluff + direct object for poor performance
The young actor fluffed his lines three times before the director called a break.
Pedro fluffed the easiest question on the driving test and had to retake it.
Noa fluffed her driving test by forgetting to check the mirrors before pulling out.
Leo fluffed the catch in the final minute and lost the match for his team.
- ace
to do extremely well; informal
文法句型
fluff + noun phrase
用法筆記
Frequently used in performance contexts (theatre, sport, exams). Unlike the other verb sense, this one does NOT take the particle 'up' — 'fluff up' only works for making something soft.