Definition of boffin in English:

boffin

noun ˈbɒfɪnˈbɑfən

British informal

1A person engaged in scientific or technical research.
〈非正式，主英〉科技工作者，科研人员
the boffins at the Telecommunications Research Establishment
Example sentencesExamples
- In groundbreaking research Leeds University boffins discovered that men relax in pubs.
- Aircraft factories broke production records, and a brand-new air defence system was improvised by a mixture of eccentric boffins and a bright young staff of mostly female technicians.
- It is already in use by more than 50 local authorities across the country, and has been given the thumbs-up by boffins at the Transport Research Laboratory.
- A boffin has invented a car that runs on grass, or pigeon poo, or privet cuttings.
- By getting his name on the starring list, John has qualified to join a bizarre game created by computer boffins at Virginia University in the US which links actors through their films.
- He went on to suggest future inventions for boffins to work on: the slamless door, the suckless soup spoon and the trickleless tap.
- Computer boffins working for a Glasgow architect have produced a CD which lets you explore the location and take a peek into the apartments, before a brick has been laid.
- Using a highly scientific personality test, the boffins behind this genius idea will match you up with one of six potential mates who will then romance you via email.
- Some of the initial results of the 2001 Census certainly startled the mathematical boffins.
- In March, boffins at the Transport Research Laboratory in Berkshire found that using a mobile phone while driving was more dangerous than being drunk behind the wheel.
- The team of boffins used the computer to find the period of a mathematical function, one of the basic maths building blocks of modern cryptography, doing so in the equivalent of a single CPU cycle.
- The MIT boffins created a physical one-way function by connecting cryptography with mesoscopics, the study of how waves travel in disordered materials.
- He has set his sights on featuring in an inventors and boffins special.
- Now, though, the boffins have seemingly invented a super salmon which is immune to diseases such as ISA and grows six times faster than the rate of normal farmed fish.
- Few cricket players or administrators are drawn from the ranks of scientific boffins.
- Did you know that boffin means ‘scientific expert’?
- So what is a computer boffin doing teaching a physical education class?
- Although collectors of real Dylan bootlegs will have been aware of this material for years, this spruced-up authorised version is another technical feat from the Columbia boffins.
- This time around the authors are not drunken magazine hacks back from a long lunch; they're all eminent scientists, boffins and inventors.
- The beach boffins came up with a formula to work out the quality of the grains of sand and its cohesive powers.
Synonyms
expert, specialist, authority, genius, mastermind
scientist, technician, researcher, inventor
informal egghead, brains, Einstein, whizz, wizard, alpha geek
British informal brainbox, clever clogs
North American informal maven, rocket scientist, brainiac
1. 1.1 A person with knowledge or a skill considered to be complex or arcane.
  （掌握复杂、艰深的学问或技术的）专家
  a computer boffin
  计算机科学家。
  Example sentencesExamples
  Now, that's quite a brief for a pack of boffins playing with computers.
  As a small business owner, you are not only the head honcho, but also the bean counter, chief salesman, IT boffin, tax specialist and marketing guru too.
  It is a day for looking into one's soul - for behaving like one of those virus scanners the boffins have installed on my untrusty laptop.
  Avid readers and transport boffins will notice that this is the old sign from Melbourne Train Doors.
  Analysts and IT boffins are confident that the technology is going to be mainstream before very long.
  The boffins work it out by comparing government tax take with national income.
  Children are being turned off chemistry and physics by the mad professors and pointy-headed boffins of popular mythology, according to a new study of attitudes to science.
  This has something to do with the new servers Halo boffins are presently introducing.
  Network security breaches and virus attacks are not the realm of only a few teched-up boffins.
  One of the main aims of this Trail is to open the world of archaeology to people beyond the boffins.
  Northern hemisphere boffins are clearing their desks ahead of the summer holidays.
  No, plant and science boffins needn't drop everything and arrive in Allen to seek out the rare blue daffodils.
  BBC1 will devote a Saturday night to the experiment, which should sort out boffins from buffoons by completing a set of brain-teasers.
  He leads an excellent ensemble cast as they battle the elements, politicians and US boffins who think they know better.
  What role did he and the intelligence boffins play in compiling the deceitful dossiers last September and February?
  His election reminds me of one of those 1950s science fiction movies in which a mad boffin throws a lever and the poles are reversed.
  Being a boffin, I had access to computers a generation before most people did and I still have a copy of the first program I wrote - in 1967.
  The boffins also came to the conclusion that the armour was made in a low temperature bush fire and not in a blacksmith's forge as originally thought.
  Some motoring boffins lauded the design, describing it as confident, unapologetic and revolutionary.
  Fertility expert Professor Winston shot to fame as a TV boffin after presenting a string of award-winning BBC science programmes.
  Synonyms
  influence, sway, control, leverage, power, command, weight

Derivatives

boffiny

adjective

British

informal

Now can the bookish, boffiny types out there please explain to me what's going on?
Example sentencesExamples
- It's often portrayed as a pursuit for boffiny men with abnormally high brain-power.
- And last year, bored of being single, I used one of those dating sites, and the algorithmn paired me with someone worth meeting (also a computer boffiny type).
- A big boffiny welcome to our new resident who, with his extensive knowledge of web programming and the open-source community, strengthens and extends our existing technical expertise.
- Championed by boffiny nerds, it appeals to almost everyone at some point in their lives, but rarely elicits strong feelings.

Origin

Second World War: of unknown origin.

All that is known for sure about boffin is that it originated in the Second World War as naval slang for an older officer. In 1945 there was the first reference to a person engaged in complex scientific or technical research, when The Times wrote of ‘A band of scientific men who performed their wartime wonders at Malvern and apparently called themselves “the boffins” ’. These days a boffin is any person with great skill or knowledge in a difficult or obscure area. But however clever the dictionary boffins are, they still cannot find the origins of the word. The US slang term boff, dating from the 1920s and meaning ‘to have sex with’, is unrelated. It first meant ‘to hit or strike’, and arose as an imitation of the sound of a blow.

Rhymes

coffin

Definition of boffin in US English:

boffin

nounˈbäfənˈbɑfən

British informal

1A person engaged in scientific or technical research.
〈非正式，主英〉科技工作者，科研人员
a computer boffin
计算机科学家。
Example sentencesExamples
- He has set his sights on featuring in an inventors and boffins special.
- In March, boffins at the Transport Research Laboratory in Berkshire found that using a mobile phone while driving was more dangerous than being drunk behind the wheel.
- Few cricket players or administrators are drawn from the ranks of scientific boffins.
- Did you know that boffin means ‘scientific expert’?
- The MIT boffins created a physical one-way function by connecting cryptography with mesoscopics, the study of how waves travel in disordered materials.
- A boffin has invented a car that runs on grass, or pigeon poo, or privet cuttings.
- Some of the initial results of the 2001 Census certainly startled the mathematical boffins.
- So what is a computer boffin doing teaching a physical education class?
- It is already in use by more than 50 local authorities across the country, and has been given the thumbs-up by boffins at the Transport Research Laboratory.
- Aircraft factories broke production records, and a brand-new air defence system was improvised by a mixture of eccentric boffins and a bright young staff of mostly female technicians.
- The beach boffins came up with a formula to work out the quality of the grains of sand and its cohesive powers.
- Computer boffins working for a Glasgow architect have produced a CD which lets you explore the location and take a peek into the apartments, before a brick has been laid.
- This time around the authors are not drunken magazine hacks back from a long lunch; they're all eminent scientists, boffins and inventors.
- In groundbreaking research Leeds University boffins discovered that men relax in pubs.
- The team of boffins used the computer to find the period of a mathematical function, one of the basic maths building blocks of modern cryptography, doing so in the equivalent of a single CPU cycle.
- Using a highly scientific personality test, the boffins behind this genius idea will match you up with one of six potential mates who will then romance you via email.
- By getting his name on the starring list, John has qualified to join a bizarre game created by computer boffins at Virginia University in the US which links actors through their films.
- He went on to suggest future inventions for boffins to work on: the slamless door, the suckless soup spoon and the trickleless tap.
- Although collectors of real Dylan bootlegs will have been aware of this material for years, this spruced-up authorised version is another technical feat from the Columbia boffins.
- Now, though, the boffins have seemingly invented a super salmon which is immune to diseases such as ISA and grows six times faster than the rate of normal farmed fish.
Synonyms
expert, specialist, authority, genius, mastermind
1. 1.1 A person with knowledge or a skill considered to be complex, arcane, and difficult.
  （掌握复杂、艰深的学问或技术的）专家
  he had a reputation as a tax boffin, a learned lawyer
  他以税务专家、博学的律师而享有盛誉。
  Example sentencesExamples
  The boffins also came to the conclusion that the armour was made in a low temperature bush fire and not in a blacksmith's forge as originally thought.
  One of the main aims of this Trail is to open the world of archaeology to people beyond the boffins.
  What role did he and the intelligence boffins play in compiling the deceitful dossiers last September and February?
  Being a boffin, I had access to computers a generation before most people did and I still have a copy of the first program I wrote - in 1967.
  This has something to do with the new servers Halo boffins are presently introducing.
  It is a day for looking into one's soul - for behaving like one of those virus scanners the boffins have installed on my untrusty laptop.
  Fertility expert Professor Winston shot to fame as a TV boffin after presenting a string of award-winning BBC science programmes.
  No, plant and science boffins needn't drop everything and arrive in Allen to seek out the rare blue daffodils.
  Avid readers and transport boffins will notice that this is the old sign from Melbourne Train Doors.
  Children are being turned off chemistry and physics by the mad professors and pointy-headed boffins of popular mythology, according to a new study of attitudes to science.
  The boffins work it out by comparing government tax take with national income.
  Analysts and IT boffins are confident that the technology is going to be mainstream before very long.
  Now, that's quite a brief for a pack of boffins playing with computers.
  As a small business owner, you are not only the head honcho, but also the bean counter, chief salesman, IT boffin, tax specialist and marketing guru too.
  BBC1 will devote a Saturday night to the experiment, which should sort out boffins from buffoons by completing a set of brain-teasers.
  His election reminds me of one of those 1950s science fiction movies in which a mad boffin throws a lever and the poles are reversed.
  Some motoring boffins lauded the design, describing it as confident, unapologetic and revolutionary.
  Network security breaches and virus attacks are not the realm of only a few teched-up boffins.
  Northern hemisphere boffins are clearing their desks ahead of the summer holidays.
  He leads an excellent ensemble cast as they battle the elements, politicians and US boffins who think they know better.
  Synonyms
  influence, sway, control, leverage, power, command, weight

Origin

Second World War: of unknown origin.

词汇	boffin
释义	Definition of boffin in English: boffin noun ˈbɒfɪnˈbɑfən British informal 1A person engaged in scientific or technical research. 〈非正式，主英〉科技工作者，科研人员 the boffins at the Telecommunications Research Establishment Example sentencesExamples In groundbreaking research Leeds University boffins discovered that men relax in pubs. Aircraft factories broke production records, and a brand-new air defence system was improvised by a mixture of eccentric boffins and a bright young staff of mostly female technicians. It is already in use by more than 50 local authorities across the country, and has been given the thumbs-up by boffins at the Transport Research Laboratory. A boffin has invented a car that runs on grass, or pigeon poo, or privet cuttings. By getting his name on the starring list, John has qualified to join a bizarre game created by computer boffins at Virginia University in the US which links actors through their films. He went on to suggest future inventions for boffins to work on: the slamless door, the suckless soup spoon and the trickleless tap. Computer boffins working for a Glasgow architect have produced a CD which lets you explore the location and take a peek into the apartments, before a brick has been laid. Using a highly scientific personality test, the boffins behind this genius idea will match you up with one of six potential mates who will then romance you via email. Some of the initial results of the 2001 Census certainly startled the mathematical boffins. In March, boffins at the Transport Research Laboratory in Berkshire found that using a mobile phone while driving was more dangerous than being drunk behind the wheel. The team of boffins used the computer to find the period of a mathematical function, one of the basic maths building blocks of modern cryptography, doing so in the equivalent of a single CPU cycle. The MIT boffins created a physical one-way function by connecting cryptography with mesoscopics, the study of how waves travel in disordered materials. He has set his sights on featuring in an inventors and boffins special. Now, though, the boffins have seemingly invented a super salmon which is immune to diseases such as ISA and grows six times faster than the rate of normal farmed fish. Few cricket players or administrators are drawn from the ranks of scientific boffins. Did you know that boffin means ‘scientific expert’? So what is a computer boffin doing teaching a physical education class? Although collectors of real Dylan bootlegs will have been aware of this material for years, this spruced-up authorised version is another technical feat from the Columbia boffins. This time around the authors are not drunken magazine hacks back from a long lunch; they're all eminent scientists, boffins and inventors. The beach boffins came up with a formula to work out the quality of the grains of sand and its cohesive powers. Synonyms expert, specialist, authority, genius, mastermind scientist, technician, researcher, inventor informal egghead, brains, Einstein, whizz, wizard, alpha geek British informal brainbox, clever clogs North American informal maven, rocket scientist, brainiac 1.1 A person with knowledge or a skill considered to be complex or arcane. （掌握复杂、艰深的学问或技术的）专家 a computer boffin 计算机科学家。 Example sentencesExamples Now, that's quite a brief for a pack of boffins playing with computers. As a small business owner, you are not only the head honcho, but also the bean counter, chief salesman, IT boffin, tax specialist and marketing guru too. It is a day for looking into one's soul - for behaving like one of those virus scanners the boffins have installed on my untrusty laptop. Avid readers and transport boffins will notice that this is the old sign from Melbourne Train Doors. Analysts and IT boffins are confident that the technology is going to be mainstream before very long. The boffins work it out by comparing government tax take with national income. Children are being turned off chemistry and physics by the mad professors and pointy-headed boffins of popular mythology, according to a new study of attitudes to science. This has something to do with the new servers Halo boffins are presently introducing. Network security breaches and virus attacks are not the realm of only a few teched-up boffins. One of the main aims of this Trail is to open the world of archaeology to people beyond the boffins. Northern hemisphere boffins are clearing their desks ahead of the summer holidays. No, plant and science boffins needn't drop everything and arrive in Allen to seek out the rare blue daffodils. BBC1 will devote a Saturday night to the experiment, which should sort out boffins from buffoons by completing a set of brain-teasers. He leads an excellent ensemble cast as they battle the elements, politicians and US boffins who think they know better. What role did he and the intelligence boffins play in compiling the deceitful dossiers last September and February? His election reminds me of one of those 1950s science fiction movies in which a mad boffin throws a lever and the poles are reversed. Being a boffin, I had access to computers a generation before most people did and I still have a copy of the first program I wrote - in 1967. The boffins also came to the conclusion that the armour was made in a low temperature bush fire and not in a blacksmith's forge as originally thought. Some motoring boffins lauded the design, describing it as confident, unapologetic and revolutionary. Fertility expert Professor Winston shot to fame as a TV boffin after presenting a string of award-winning BBC science programmes. Synonyms influence, sway, control, leverage, power, command, weight Derivatives boffiny adjective British informal Now can the bookish, boffiny types out there please explain to me what's going on? Example sentencesExamples It's often portrayed as a pursuit for boffiny men with abnormally high brain-power. And last year, bored of being single, I used one of those dating sites, and the algorithmn paired me with someone worth meeting (also a computer boffiny type). A big boffiny welcome to our new resident who, with his extensive knowledge of web programming and the open-source community, strengthens and extends our existing technical expertise. Championed by boffiny nerds, it appeals to almost everyone at some point in their lives, but rarely elicits strong feelings. Origin Second World War: of unknown origin. All that is known for sure about boffin is that it originated in the Second World War as naval slang for an older officer. In 1945 there was the first reference to a person engaged in complex scientific or technical research, when The Times wrote of ‘A band of scientific men who performed their wartime wonders at Malvern and apparently called themselves “the boffins” ’. These days a boffin is any person with great skill or knowledge in a difficult or obscure area. But however clever the dictionary boffins are, they still cannot find the origins of the word. The US slang term boff, dating from the 1920s and meaning ‘to have sex with’, is unrelated. It first meant ‘to hit or strike’, and arose as an imitation of the sound of a blow. Rhymes coffin Definition of boffin in US English: boffin nounˈbäfənˈbɑfən British informal 1A person engaged in scientific or technical research. 〈非正式，主英〉科技工作者，科研人员 a computer boffin 计算机科学家。 Example sentencesExamples He has set his sights on featuring in an inventors and boffins special. In March, boffins at the Transport Research Laboratory in Berkshire found that using a mobile phone while driving was more dangerous than being drunk behind the wheel. Few cricket players or administrators are drawn from the ranks of scientific boffins. Did you know that boffin means ‘scientific expert’? The MIT boffins created a physical one-way function by connecting cryptography with mesoscopics, the study of how waves travel in disordered materials. A boffin has invented a car that runs on grass, or pigeon poo, or privet cuttings. Some of the initial results of the 2001 Census certainly startled the mathematical boffins. So what is a computer boffin doing teaching a physical education class? It is already in use by more than 50 local authorities across the country, and has been given the thumbs-up by boffins at the Transport Research Laboratory. Aircraft factories broke production records, and a brand-new air defence system was improvised by a mixture of eccentric boffins and a bright young staff of mostly female technicians. The beach boffins came up with a formula to work out the quality of the grains of sand and its cohesive powers. Computer boffins working for a Glasgow architect have produced a CD which lets you explore the location and take a peek into the apartments, before a brick has been laid. This time around the authors are not drunken magazine hacks back from a long lunch; they're all eminent scientists, boffins and inventors. In groundbreaking research Leeds University boffins discovered that men relax in pubs. The team of boffins used the computer to find the period of a mathematical function, one of the basic maths building blocks of modern cryptography, doing so in the equivalent of a single CPU cycle. Using a highly scientific personality test, the boffins behind this genius idea will match you up with one of six potential mates who will then romance you via email. By getting his name on the starring list, John has qualified to join a bizarre game created by computer boffins at Virginia University in the US which links actors through their films. He went on to suggest future inventions for boffins to work on: the slamless door, the suckless soup spoon and the trickleless tap. Although collectors of real Dylan bootlegs will have been aware of this material for years, this spruced-up authorised version is another technical feat from the Columbia boffins. Now, though, the boffins have seemingly invented a super salmon which is immune to diseases such as ISA and grows six times faster than the rate of normal farmed fish. Synonyms expert, specialist, authority, genius, mastermind 1.1 A person with knowledge or a skill considered to be complex, arcane, and difficult. （掌握复杂、艰深的学问或技术的）专家 he had a reputation as a tax boffin, a learned lawyer 他以税务专家、博学的律师而享有盛誉。 Example sentencesExamples The boffins also came to the conclusion that the armour was made in a low temperature bush fire and not in a blacksmith's forge as originally thought. One of the main aims of this Trail is to open the world of archaeology to people beyond the boffins. What role did he and the intelligence boffins play in compiling the deceitful dossiers last September and February? Being a boffin, I had access to computers a generation before most people did and I still have a copy of the first program I wrote - in 1967. This has something to do with the new servers Halo boffins are presently introducing. It is a day for looking into one's soul - for behaving like one of those virus scanners the boffins have installed on my untrusty laptop. Fertility expert Professor Winston shot to fame as a TV boffin after presenting a string of award-winning BBC science programmes. No, plant and science boffins needn't drop everything and arrive in Allen to seek out the rare blue daffodils. Avid readers and transport boffins will notice that this is the old sign from Melbourne Train Doors. Children are being turned off chemistry and physics by the mad professors and pointy-headed boffins of popular mythology, according to a new study of attitudes to science. The boffins work it out by comparing government tax take with national income. Analysts and IT boffins are confident that the technology is going to be mainstream before very long. Now, that's quite a brief for a pack of boffins playing with computers. As a small business owner, you are not only the head honcho, but also the bean counter, chief salesman, IT boffin, tax specialist and marketing guru too. BBC1 will devote a Saturday night to the experiment, which should sort out boffins from buffoons by completing a set of brain-teasers. His election reminds me of one of those 1950s science fiction movies in which a mad boffin throws a lever and the poles are reversed. Some motoring boffins lauded the design, describing it as confident, unapologetic and revolutionary. Network security breaches and virus attacks are not the realm of only a few teched-up boffins. Northern hemisphere boffins are clearing their desks ahead of the summer holidays. He leads an excellent ensemble cast as they battle the elements, politicians and US boffins who think they know better. Synonyms influence, sway, control, leverage, power, command, weight Origin Second World War: of unknown origin.
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