Find the word definition

Crossword clues for boffin

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
boffin
noun
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ A few science boffins were asked for their opinions, but otherwise the article gave very little information.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ Government boffins have been explaining a new weapon that destroys people but leaves houses intact.
▪ Oldfield was never conferred with boffin status, unlike his contemporary, Mr Ambient himself, Brian Eno.
▪ Perhaps the boffins in the boats at Scapa ought to swallow their compassion and get equally coercive with the whales.
▪ The boffin claims to be able to lower bust-up ratios by analysing responses to statements about their lifestyles.
▪ Their boffins used sophisticated hospital scanners to mould the exact shape of Schuey's head to within one-tenth of a millimetre.
▪ This was contrary to the opinion of the world and society which thought of him as a boffin.
▪ Three wore the white coats of the back-room boffin, the fourth was diminutive, little more than a boy.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
boffin

boffin \bof"fin\ n. a scientist or technician, especially one engaged in military research. [British slang]

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
boffin

"person engaged in innovative research," especially in aviation, 1945; earlier "elderly naval officer" (1941), probably from one of the "Mr. Boffins" of English literature (as in "Our Mutual Friend").

Wiktionary
boffin

n. (context UK Australia informal English) A scientist or engineer, especially one engaged in technological or military research.

WordNet
boffin

n. a scientist or technician engaged in military research

Wikipedia
Boffin

A boffin is British slang for a scientist, engineer, or other person engaged in technical or scientific work. The original World War II conception of war-winning researchers means that the term tends to have more positive connotations than related terms like spod, egghead, nerd, or geek.

Boffin (disambiguation)

Boffin is a British slang term for a scientist. It may also refer to:

  • Boffins, an Australian children's television series.
  • Boffin (computer game), computer platform game for the Acorn Electron and BBC Micro systems
  • Boffin (hobbit family), fictional hobbit family in The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
  • Boffin, nickname given by the Royal Navy during World War II to the Mark V mountings for the Oerlikon 20 mm cannons up-gunned with the Bofors 40 mm gun
  • Boffin, variant spelling of the Welsh family name Baughan

People:

  • Danny Boffin, Belgian former football player
  • Ruud Boffin, Belgian goalkeeper, currently playing for West Ham United
  • Henri M. J. Boffin, Belgian astronomer
Boffin (hobbit family)
  1. redirect List of hobbit families
Boffin (video game)

Boffin is a platform game released in 1985 by Addictive Games for the Acorn Electron and BBC Micro. It was written by 17-year-old Paul Julian O'Malley, who at the time was a resident of Romsey, Hampshire, UK. There are two versions of the game that were released together.

Usage examples of "boffin".

Lopez had been dining with Mr and Mrs Boffin, and had now again encountered his late host and hostess.

Mr Boffin was a gentleman who had belonged to the late Ministry, but had somewhat out-Heroded Herod in his Conservatism, so as to have been considered to be unfit for the Coalition.

There had been men, such as Lord Fawn on one side and Mr Boffin on the other, who had found themselves stranded disagreeably,--with no certain position,--unwilling to sit behind a Treasury bench from which they were excluded, and too shy to place themselves immediately opposite.

This question was put by Sir Timothy to Sir Orlando as they sat in a corner of the archery ground, under the shelter of a tent looking on while Major Pountney taught Mrs Boffin how to fix an arrow on to her bow string.

Mr Boffin put down his treatise on the nature of Franchises, which he was studying in order that he might lead an opposition against the Ministry next Session, and even Sir Timothy Beeswax, who had done his work with Sir Orlando, joined the throng.

Mr Boffin, who hear it, rejoiced within himself, comforting himself with the reflection that his withers were unwrung, and thinking with what pleasure he might carry the anecdote into the farthest corners of the clubs.

Sir Orlando to his old friend Mr Boffin as they walked home together from the House that night.

But when Sir Orlando had joined the Coalition, and when the sterner spirit of Mr Boffin had preferred principles to place,--to use the language in which he was wont to speak to himself and to his wife and family of his own abnegation,--there had come a coolness between them.

Mr Boffin, who was not a rich man, nor by any means indifferent to the comforts of office, had felt keenly the injury done to him when he was left hopelessly in the cold by the desertion of his old friends.

Mr Boffin in all his parliamentary experience had known nothing like it.

Mr Boffin had been sure that British honour was going to the dogs and that British greatness was at an end.

After that Mr Boffin admitted Sir Orlando back into his heart of hearts.

With him was joined Mr Boffin, the patriotic Conservative who had never listened to the voice of the seducer, and the staunch remainder of the Tory party.

One of them is--surprise--based in Milton Keynes, and as of right this minute you have clearance to stamp all over their turf and play the Gestapo officer with our top boffin labs.

He must have been an elderly boffin of great courtesy and patience to tolerate darn fool questions at this hour of the night.