to take huff
1
8.5
- phrasal verb
- Informal
- When she was left out of the plans, she took huff and refused to join us later.
Examples
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Please don’t take huff at my remarks; I didn’t mean to offend you.
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She takes huff too easily.
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He can easily take huff if he feels left out of the conversation.
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Don't take huff at my comments!
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Please don’t take huff at my remarks; I didn’t mean to offend you.
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When she was left out of the plans, she took huff and refused to join us later.
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He can easily take huff if he feels left out of the conversation.
Synonyms
10
7.4
Show sudden anger or annoyance because of something someone says
2
8.4
To feel offended when someone says or does something you dislike
1
6.8
To breathe out loudly to show you are annoyed
1
8.7
To suddenly become very angry or upset and act childishly
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to become offended or upset' is directly inferable from combining 'take' (to adopt/receive a state) with 'huff' (a sulky outburst or mood). This follows a productive English pattern (e.g. 'take offense', 'take a dislike'), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would likely understand the MWE.
Etymology
The idiom take huff comes from the image of someone giving a short, angry breath—a huff—and turning away to show they are upset. So to take huff means 'to become offended' or 'to sulk'.