ruf|fle

ruf|fle¹ «RUHF uhl», verb, -fled, -fling, noun.

–v.t.

1. a) to make rgh or uneven; destroy the smoothness of; wrinkle; rumple: »

A breeze ruffled the lake. He ruffled up his gray moustache with thumb and forefinger (Booth Tarkington).

SYNONYM(S): roughen. b) to cause to rise in anger or fear: »

The hen ruffled her feathers at the sight of the dog.

2. a) to gather into a ruffle. b) to trim with ruffles.

3. to disturb; annoy: »

Nothing can ruffle her calm temper. He was not ruffled by the immense disappointment (Arnold Bennett).

SYNONYM(S): disquiet, discompose.

4. to shuffle (playing cards).

5. to turn over (the pages of a book) rapidly; riffle.

–v.i.

to become ruffled: »

The flag ruffled in the breeze. “Of course you consider it would have been so,” sighed the lady, ruffling (George Meredith).

–n.

1. roughness or unevenness in some surface; wrinkling.

2. a) a strip of cloth, ribbon, or lace gathered along one edge and used for trimming. Women's dresses sometimes have ruffles; some men's shirts for evening wear have ruffles. b) something resembling this, such as the ruff on a bird.

3. disturbance; annoyance: »

the ordinary rubs and ruffles which disturb even the most uniform life (Scott).

4. disorder; confusion.

╂[Middle English ruffelen. Compare Low German ruffelen to rumple, Old Icelandic hrufla to stretch.]

ruf|fle² «RUHF uhl», noun, verb, -fled, -fling.

–n.

a low steady beating of a drum, softer than a roll.

–v.t.

to beat (a drum) in this way.

╂[perhaps imitative]

ruf|fle³ «RUHF uhl», verb, -fled, -fling, noun.

–v.i.

1. to be violent or rough, as wind or waves.

2. to make a display; swagger: »

Here he was, a provincial man of business, ruffling it with the best of them! (Arnold Bennett).

3. Archaic. to struggle; contend.

–n.

Archaic. a struggle; fight; brawl: »

the ruffle betwixt the Scottish Archers and the provost-marshal's guard (Scott).

╂[Middle English ruffelyn; origin uncertain]