biffy
- noun
- /ˈbɪfi/
- Slang
- I need to find a clean biffy before the hike begins.
Examples
-
During the camping trip, the only option for a restroom was a makeshift biffy.
-
She returns from the biffy for a hearing in Nome—via cell phone cradled in its speakerphone base on her desk.
Academic text (2003) -
Do you have a Biffy?
-
Hey, I've heard about trees growing in Brooklyn, but ferns in the biffy?
-
The biggest thrill of Willard-Jones' year was the completion of a heated "biffy," the word for outhouse in her native Canadian brand of English.
Academic text (2003) -
The kids giggled as they ran to the biffy behind the trees.
Synonyms
A casual word for a toilet
A small building near a house that has a simple outdoor toilet
A toilet in informal speech
A small outdoor toilet in a separate building
An informal name for a bathroom for men or boys
A small room with a toilet for people to use
An outdoor toilet often in a small building behind a house
An old outdoor toilet outside a house
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word biffy is a casual North American name for a toilet or small outdoor 'outhouse'. Its exact origin is uncertain, but it probably began as a playful, shortened word in everyday speech, so a helpful way to remember biffy is to think of a small, simple toilet, which is why biffy means 'toilet'.