Meaning of spiff | Babel Free

Definitions

1. Attractiveness or charm in dress, appearance, or manner.
   uncountable
2. A well-dressed man; a swell.
   archaic, countable, slang
3. A bonus or other remuneration, given for reaching a sales goal or promoting the goods of a particular manufacturer. Originally from textile retailing, a percentage given for selling off surplus or out-of-fashion stock, of which the sales person could offer part as a discount to a customer.
   countable, slang

Equivalents

Examples

“Without a diploma, he relies on spiff alone to climb⟳ the corporate ladder.”

“The strongly-recommended piece of cloth was, in the conventional language of the drapery trade⟳, a “spiff” in other words, a remnant of an old stock⟳ which had been lying by unsold for three or four years, perhaps longer, and had faded through keeping, like⟳ other beautiful things, thereby decreasing in value.”

“The premium takes the form⟳ of a commission on goods sold. In some places it is a small premium, or in trade⟳ parlance a “spiff” on certain articles, and on others on the amount of sales.”

“She rolled a spiff for us as she spoke, sifting the ganja between her fingers […]”

CEFR level