shufti

Meaning

1. 1nounsingularBritishinformalslang

   a quick look at something, often to see what it is or whether it is worth attention.

   Grammar: Usually follows have or take: have a shufti at something.

   Patterns

   • have a shufti at something
   • take a shufti

   Let's have a shufti at the new car park before we decide.

   He took a quick shufti through the window.

   I'll nip upstairs and have a shufti at the problem.

Word forms

Common combinations

have a shufti

Have a shufti and tell me what you think.

take a shufti

She took a shufti round the back of the shop.

a quick shufti

I only got a quick shufti at the exam paper.

give it a shufti

Give it a shufti and see if it needs fixing.

a shufti at

He wanted a shufti at the garden.

Synonyms and how they differ

look

Look is the neutral everyday word, while shufti sounds casual and suggests a brief inspection.

peek

Peek suggests looking secretly or quickly at something hidden, but shufti is open and relaxed.

glance

Glance means a very short look, whereas shufti can include moving around to inspect something.

squint

Squint in British slang can mean a look too, but it also suggests eyes narrowed, which shufti does not.

Word family

shufties noun

plural form

look noun

the plain equivalent word

gander noun

another British informal word for a look

Commonly confused: shufti or shifty?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “shufti”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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