bluff

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to deceive by pretending confidence or strength; a steep cliff

   He decided to bluff his way through the interview.

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Simplified etymology

English has two unrelated words bluff. The older, from the early 17th century, was originally a nautical adjective meaning “broad,” used of a ship’s bows; its origin is unknown, and it also came to denote a steep cliff. It developed the sense “surly or abrupt in manner” in the early 18th century and the more positive sense “direct and good-natured” in the early 19th century. The other bluff entered in the late 17th century from Dutch bluffen, “to brag or boast,” and initially meant “to blindfold or hoodwink.” In the mid-19th century, American poker players applied it to misleading opponents about the strength of a hand.

The 'deceive' sense is from Dutch bluffen ('to brag, boast'), via American poker slang of the 19th century. The 'steep cliff' sense and the adjective 'broad, frank' are probably also of Dutch nautical origin (blaf, 'flat, broad').

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