A Cute Little Whiffet

Hello, you have A Way with Words.

Hi, my name is Sherry, and I’m from Williamsburg, Virginia.

And I’m calling to find out a little bit more about an expression, cute little whiffet.

I had always thought it meant an adorable baby or an adorable small child.

But when I moved to Virginia, no one had ever heard of that expression.

Then I asked my sister, who’s in Ohio, where I grew up, and she hadn’t heard of it either.

And I’ve lived in Chicago, Michigan, Missouri, Oklahoma.

I’m just trying to figure out where I picked this up and why nobody’s ever heard of that expression.

Sherry, you said cute little whiffet.

How do you spell that last word?

W-H-I-Ephison Frank, Ephison Frank I-T.

Wiff it. Cute little Wiff it. And so you say this about like a little sweetie pie, a little baby with chubby cheeks that you want to smooch.

Yes, or an adorable baby.

A cute little Wiff it. Sherry, it’s not that common a word, but it’s been around since the late 1700s. It’s got some history to it.

And usually it’s spelled W-H-I-F-F-E-T, and it means a small, young, or insignificant person, like somebody who’s not that important.

In fact, one of my favorite uses of this word that you can quote to your friends is from Walt Whitman.

Back in 1892, he was writing admiringly of trees and how strong trees are and how vital and enduring, just standing there silently.

And he writes about how the tree stands tough and serene in all kinds of weather as opposed to, as he puts it, this gusty-tempered little whippet man that runs indoors at a might of rain or snow.

So he’s comparing humans to these majestic trees and calling us gusty-tempered little whippets.

So not as cute as a little baby, but it can sometimes mean somebody who’s insignificant or unimportant.

But in all cases, we’re talking about something small, right?

Or something weak that needs some protection of somebody stronger.

Yeah, something as small as just a whiff, you know, a little sniff.

It may come from that word. We’re not sure.

Do you have any ideas of what region I might have picked this expression up?

Oh, goodness. Are you a big reader?

Yes.

You may have picked it up in your reading then because it’s not all that common.

It’s not really regional in this country either.

Okay.

Martha, did you learn that when you were a kid growing up in Kentucky?

When I was a little whiff it, no, I did not.

No, I think it’s really evocative, but no, I’ve only come across that term in writing.

As I said, Walt Whitman is one source of it.

Well, very good, very good.

Thank you for calling us and call us again sometime.

We always like to talk to the people who’ve lived all over and just have those moments where they brought this luggage with them,

And it’s filled with words that nobody’s ever heard of.

And they unpack that word luggage, and people are like,

What you got in there?

That’s some strange stuff.

Yes, yes, yes.

Well, thank you so much.

I appreciate it.

Oh, sure.

Take care of yourself.

Thanks, Sherry.

Bye-bye.

All right.

Bye-bye.

Bye-bye.

Unpack your word hoard with us, 877-929-9673.