jiffy

«jiffy» in Mova's school dictionary: a very short time, a moment — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

noun (a jiffy — informal)

meaning for a pupil

1) (informal) A jiffy is a very short time, a moment. tree →

2) (UK) A Jiffy bag is a padded envelope for posting things. tree →

sense in the lessons

In everyday talk, «I'll be back in a jiffy» means very soon. It is friendly, chatty language, more common with adults and in stories. Common phrases: «in a jiffy», «in half a jiffy», «just a jiffy», «Jiffy bag».

examples

• I'll be with you in a jiffy. tree →
• Dinner will be ready in a jiffy. tree →
• Just a jiffy — I need to find my shoes. tree →
• The cake was gone in a jiffy. tree →
• Mum posted the book in a Jiffy bag. tree →
• The puppy was out of the door in a jiffy. tree →
• In a jiffy he pounced upon it. tree →

note

Used almost only in the phrase «in a jiffy». It is informal; in a formal essay write «very quickly» or «in a moment». «Jiffy bag» is a brand name, so it often has a capital J. Similar: «in a tick» (UK), «in a sec».

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «jiffy» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.