(intransitive, UK, regional) To fidget; to act restlessly.
(intransitive, UK, regional) To fidget; to act restlessly.
Jiffle means: To fidget; to act restlessly.. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. As a place or proper-name reference it is purely descriptive. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
jiffle means: To fidget; to act restlessly.. Register: neutral, standard English. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself. A formal-English equivalent (a synonym or descriptive phrase) is usually safer in writing. When in doubt, paraphrase rather than reuse the slang form.
Jiffle means: To fidget; to act restlessly.. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. As a place or proper-name reference it is purely descriptive. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
Add your own interpretation of "jiffle".
UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
See all British & Irish slang slang on Slangora.
Browse all slang words starting with J.
A UK dialect word with two distinct regional senses: to pilfer or steal small items (general dialectal), and to squirm or fidget (East Anglia). Both senses are highly localized and no longer in common use. The stealing sense fits into a broader dialectal tradition of soft-sounding words for petty theft, where the word's gentle sound almost accidentally lightens the moral weight of what it describes.
(UK, dialect) (East Anglia) To squirm.
(slang) Jittery, fidgety, restless, excited.
(colloquial) A very short, unspecified length of time.
No comments yet — say something.
(UK, dialect) To pilfer.