muff

A "muff" is a word with a few very different lives. First, it can mean a soft, tube-shaped cover, often made of fur or thick cloth, used to keep the hands warm. You might picture someone on an old winter street with both hands tucked inside it. It is also common as a verb: to "muff" something means to do it badly, especially by being clumsy or by failing to catch or control something cleanly. If a player drops an easy ball, they have "muffed" it. In informal use, the word can also be a vulgar slang term for the vulva.

The word traces back to Old French "moufle," meaning a thick glove or covering. The hand-warming item is less common now, but the word still appears in "earmuffs" and in sports talk when someone makes an awkward mistake.

The word "muff" has a long and varied history. Its oldest common meaning is a fashion item: a soft, usually cylindrical covering into which both hands are placed for warmth. From the 17th through the 19th century, muffs were a familiar part of winter dress, often made from fur or other thick materials. In older writing and pictures, this is often the first meaning you will see.

Later, the word developed an important verb sense: to "muff" something is to handle it badly, spoil it, or fail to catch it properly. This use is especially common in sports. A player may muff a catch, a punt, or a simple chance. Outside sports, people can also use it more broadly for any awkward failure, such as muffing a line, an introduction, or an opportunity. Related noun uses also appear, where a "muff" can mean a blunder or a person who is clumsy or foolish, though these are less common today.

The word also has an informal and vulgar slang meaning referring to the vulva or pubic area. That sense is common enough that modern readers may think of it first, especially in casual speech. Because of that, the word can sound old-fashioned in one context, sporty in another, and sexual or crude in another.

It is also worth not confusing "muff" with "muffle." "Muffle" means to wrap, cover, or make a sound less clear. "Muff," by contrast, is about the hand-warmer, a mistake, or the vulgar slang sense. So depending on the setting, the word may suggest winter clothing, a dropped ball, or crude body-related slang.