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Where did Jiffy come from?
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What does in a jiffy mean?
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Did Jif change its name from Jiffy to Jif?
Nov 11, 2018 · The expression in a jiffy was in use as early as 1780. It is a colloquial English expression for “in a short amount of time.” The origins of jiffy are unknown, though there are theories. One suggestion is that it comes from British thieves’ slang for “lightning,” hence very fast.
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Sep 11, 2014 · The earliest recorded use of "in a jiffy" I found is dated 1780 from The Town and Country Magazine, Or Universal Repository of Knowledge, Instruction and Entertainment.
What's the origin of the phrase 'In a jiffy'? Consider these idioms and similes, all of which mean, more or less, ‘instantly’: As fast as greased lightning. As quick as a flash. In a trice. In two shakes of a lambs tail. They were all coined as a reference to some existing item that was known to be rapid and short-lived.
Where did the rumor that Jif was once called Jiffy come from? The rumor likely originated from a mix-up with another peanut butter brand called Jiff. Jiff and Jif are separate brands, and there is no historical evidence to support the claim that Jif was ever called Jiffy.
Jiffy entered the English language in the 1780s, defined as a brief moment or within an instant. The origin of in a jiffy is unknown, though it may have been a slang term used by thieves in the eighteenth century to mean lightning.
- English Teacher
The most well-known one was first proposed by physicist Gilbert Newton Lewis (1875-1946) who defined a ‘jiffy’ as the time it takes light to travel one centimetre.
Jun 3, 2013 · The full phrase “in a jiffy” was first recorded (with the spelling jeffy) in Grose’s Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1796): “It will be done in a jeffy: it will be done in a short space of time, in an instant.”