Alf

43 5.9

A man's name usually short for Alfred

proper noun
/ælf/

: Alf

Did you lose the bet, then, Alf?
Alf Landon
Alf said
called Alf

But the the the coach was a guy called Alf St.

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Examples

And these gentlemen are Alf, Ted and Joseph.

An American Werewolf in London (1981)
So for example, Alf loves Beth.
It's been years since Alf and I did such a thing.

Fiction book (2001)
Boss, why do you keep calling me Alf?

A Good Year (2006)
"Hope you keep the doors locked when you head off on your own like this," Alf said.

Fiction book (1998)
Although, Alf, I'm not going to lie, I'm really tired.
I've got to see what happens to Alf this week.

Bumblebee (2018)
You were staying here with me at Mendips when Alf turned up out of the blue.

Nowhere Boy (2009)
But Alf wasn't giving up that easily.

Nowhere Boy (2009)
When I was younger, I had a friend named Alf who was always up for an adventure.

Surface Forms

Alf main

Etymology

Alf is a short form of Alfred. Alfred comes from Old English parts ælf 'elf' and ræd 'advice', so the name once suggested a helpful or wise 'elf', which is why Alf feels like a friendly, familiar name.