What is "ruff"

Ruffle \Ruf"fle\, n. [See Ruffle, v. t. & i.]

1. That which is ruffled; specifically, a strip of lace, cambric, or other fine cloth, plaited or gathered on one edge or in the middle, and used as a trimming; a frill.

2. A state of being ruffled or disturbed; disturbance; agitation; commotion; as, to put the mind in a ruffle.

3. (Mil.) A low, vibrating beat of a drum, not so loud as a roll; -- called also ruff.
   --H. L. Scott.

4. (Zo["o]l.) The connected series of large egg capsules, or o["o]thec[ae], of any one of several species of American marine gastropods of the genus Fulgur. See O["o]theca.

   Ruffle of a boot, the top turned down, and scalloped or plaited.
   --Halliwell.

Trump \Trump\, n. [A corruption of triumph, F. triomphe. See Triumph, and cf. Trump a trumpet.]

1. A winning card; one of a particular suit (usually determined by chance for each deal) any card of which takes any card of the other suits.

2. An old game with cards, nearly the same as whist; -- called also ruff.
   --Decker.

3. A good fellow; an excellent person. [Slang]

   Alfred is a trump, I think you say.
   --Thackeray.

   To put to one's trumps, or To put on one's trumps, to force to the last expedient, or to the utmost exertion.

   But when kings come so low as to fawn upon philosophy, which before they neither valued nor understood, it is a sign that fails not, they are then put to their last trump.
   --Milton.

   Put the housekeeper to her trumps to accommodate them.
   --W. Irving.

kind of large collar, stiffly starched, especially common in the seventeenth century, 1520s, originally in reference to sleeves (of collars, from 1550s), probably a shortened form of ruffle.\n

\nCard-playing sense is a separate word, from a former game of that name (1580s), from Middle French roffle, earlier romfle (early 15c.), from Italian ronfa, perhaps a corruption of trionfo "triumph" (from French; compare trump). The game was in vogue c.1590-1630.

in cards, 1760, from ruff (n.). Related: Ruffed; ruffing.

Etymology 1 n. 1 A gregarious, medium-sized wading bird of Eurasia, ''Philomachus pugnax''. 2 # A male of the species. (The female is a reeve). 3 (alternative spelling of ruffe nodot=11 English) a small freshwater fish; a pope. 4 A circular frill or ruffle on a garment, especially a starched, fluted frill at the neck in Elizabethan and Jacobean England. 5 Anything formed with plaits or flutings, like the frill. 6 (context obsolete English) An exhibition of pride or haughtiness. 7 (context obsolete English) Wanton or tumultuous procedure or conduct. 8 (context military English) A low, vibrating beat of a drum, quieter than a roll; a ruffle. 9 (context engineering English) A collar on a shaft or other piece to prevent endwise motion. 10 A set of lengthened or otherwise modified feathers on or around the neck of a bird. vb. 1 To ruffle; to disorder. 2 (context military English) To beat with the ruff or ruffle, as a drum. 3 (context hawking English) To hit (the prey) without fixing it. Etymology 2

n. A card game similar to whist, and the predecessor of it. vb. (context cards English) To play a trump card to a trick, other than when trumps were led Etymology 3

1. (context colloquial English) (alternative spelling of rough English) Etymology 4

   interj. The bark of a dog; woof.

1. n. a high tight collar [syn: choker, ruffle, neck ruff]

2. common Eurasian sandpiper; male has an erectile ruff in breeding season [syn: Philomachus pugnax]

3. the act of taking a trick with a trump when unable to follow suit [syn: trumping]

4. v. play a trump [syn: trump]

A ruff is an item of clothing worn in Western Europe from the mid-sixteenth century to the mid-seventeenth century.

The Ruff (Philomachus pugnax) is a bird in the wader family.

Ruff may also refer to:

Ruff is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:

• Charles Ruff (1939–2000), American lawyer
• Howard Ruff, American financial adviser
• Jason Ruff (born 1970), Canadian hockey player
• Lindy Ruff (born 1960), Canadian hockey coach
• Matt Ruff (born 1965), American author
• Michelle Ruff (born 1967), American voice actress
• Otto Ruff (1871–1939), German chemist
• Thomas Ruff (born 1958), German photographer
• Willie Ruff (born 1931), American hornist and bassist

The ruff (Philomachus pugnax) is a medium-sized wading bird that breeds in marshes and wet meadows across northern Eurasia. This highly gregarious sandpiper is migratory and sometimes forms huge flocks in its winter grounds, which include southern and western Europe, Africa, southern Asia and Australia. It is usually considered to be the only member of its genus, and the broad-billed and sharp-tailed sandpipers are its closest relatives.

The ruff is a long-necked, pot-bellied bird. This species shows marked sexual dimorphism; the male is much larger than the female (the reeve), and has a breeding plumage that includes brightly coloured head tufts, bare orange facial skin, extensive black on the breast, and the large collar of ornamental feathers that inspired this bird's English name. The female and the non-breeding male have grey-brown upperparts and mainly white underparts. Three differently plumaged types of male, including a rare form that mimics the female, use a variety of strategies to obtain mating opportunities at a lek, and the colourful head and neck feathers are erected as part of the elaborate main courting display. The female has one brood per year and lays four eggs in a well-hidden ground nest, incubating the eggs and rearing the chicks, which are mobile soon after hatching, on her own. Predators of wader chicks and eggs include mammals such as foxes, feral cats and stoats, and birds such as large gulls, corvids and skuas.

The ruff forages in wet grassland and soft mud, probing or searching by sight for edible items. It primarily feeds on insects, especially in the breeding season, but it will consume plant material, including rice and maize, on migration and in winter. Classified as " least concern" on the IUCN Red List criteria, the global conservation concerns are relatively low because of the large numbers that breed in Scandinavia and the Arctic. However, the range in much of Europe is contracting because of land drainage, increased fertiliser use, the loss of mown or grazed breeding sites, and over-hunting. This decline has seen it listed in the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA).

In trick-taking games, to ruff means to play a trump card to a trick (other than when trumps were led). According to the rules of most games, a player must have no cards left in the suit led in order to ruff. Since the other players are constrained to follow suit if they can, even a low trump can win a trick. In some games, like Pinochle and Preferans, the player who cannot follow suit is required to ruff. In others, like Bridge and Whist, he may instead discard (play any card in any other suit). Normally, ruffing will win a trick. But it is also possible that a subsequent player will overruff (play a higher trump). This is not always a bad thing—see uppercut below.