in a huff
in a huff
Meaning
- to be upset or angry about something
- behaving in a bad-tempered way because someone is upset
- a fit of anger
- slang for someone who is sulking about something
- in an offended way
- in a bad mood because someone has upset you
Example Sentences
- June was very upset because her mother would not buy her a new pair of shoes, so she stormed out of the room in a huff.
- Alice is in a huff because her best friend promised to go out with her, but at the last minute she had to cancel.
- My inability to make up my mind about where I want to go for supper has put my husband in a huff, I think that I will have to make a decision quickly, otherwise I will go hungry.
- I am still in a huff because you forgot my birthday, I can’t believe you didn’t remember.
- I am sorry that I am in a huff today, the coffee shop was out of my favourite tea this morning.
- People who are in a huff about the Met Gala theme are being absurd.
- My new boss is in a huff because everything is not done the way that he wanted. Even if his way is not correct.
- After he was rude to her she left the party in a huff.
- He left in a huff after the lady complained that his pasta was the worst that she had ever eaten.
- Christians all in a huff about Thomas the Tank Engine, while real threat to children is ignored.
Origin
The word huff is believed to have originated in the late 1500’s. It imitates the sound of blowing (sounds like puff) and is believed to be related to the word. Huff can mean to expel (release) air quickly, much like someone does when they are angry.
In other words – the idiom dates back to the 1600s. A huff is compared to a gust of wind. It is related to a forcible breath that is exhaled by someone who is angry. The word “huff” is an example of onomatopoeia. This is a literary device that means the word mimics the sound that something makes. Thus, huff is the sound made by a gust of wind.
The first recorded use of the idiom was in 1778.
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