Bluff
WordNet
adjective
(1) Bluntly direct and outspoken but good-natured
"A bluff but pleasant manner"
"A bluff and rugged natural leader"
(2) Very steep; having a prominent and almost vertical front
"A bluff headland"
"Where the bold chalk cliffs of England rise"
"A sheer descent of rock"
noun
(3) The act of bluffing in poker; deception by a false show of confidence in the strength of your cards
(4) Pretense that your position is stronger than it really is
"His bluff succeeded in getting him accepted"
(5) A high steep bank (usually formed by river erosion)
verb
(6) Frighten someone by pretending to be stronger than one really is
(7) Deceive an opponent by a bold bet on an inferior hand with the result that the opponent withdraws a winning hand
WiktionaryText
Etymology 1
From or .
Noun
- An act of bluffing; an expression of self-confidence for the purpose of intimidation; braggadocio; as, that is only bluff, or a bluff.
- An attempt to represent yourself as holding a stronger hand than you do.
- John's bet was a bluff, he bet without even so much as a pair.
Verb
- To make a bluff.
- John bluffed by betting without even a pair.
Etymology 2
Related to Middle Low German , "smooth".
Noun
- A high, steep bank, as by a river or the sea, or beside a ravine or plain; a cliff with a broad face.
- A small wood or stand of trees, typically poplar or willow.
Adjective
- Having a broad, flattened front; as, the bluff bows of a ship.
- Rising steeply with a flat or rounded front.
- Surly; churlish; gruff; rough.
- 1883: Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island
- ...he had a bluff, rough-and-ready face, all roughened and reddened and lined in his long travels.
- 1883: Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island
- Abrupt; roughly frank; unceremonious; blunt; brusque; as, a bluff answer; a bluff manner of talking; a bluff sea captain.